Love's Just A Form of Insanity
by Silverone
Summary: Yaoi. Suikoden III. Fred finds himself with a rather dangerous suiter. WatariFred, LilyOC, LandisAyame.
1. Default Chapter

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst.  
  
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.  
  
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.  
  
This chapter was Revised.  
  
Please Read and Review…

* * *

The night breeze blew across the Zexen Sea, bringing with it the scent of salt. It made standing on the ship's deck even chillier. Fred Maximillian shivered as he felt the cold air seep down through his armor. He leaned over the railing, a bored look on his face. He could feel the night breeze and hear the crash of the ocean against the rocks below.  
  
Of course he wasn't exactly out enjoying the view. He looked at the crumpled piece of paper he held in his hand. The letter had been in his room this morning. With a single message: "Meet me on the ship's deck tonight. Come alone."  
  
And so here he was, bored as hell and near freezing in his armor. Freezing in his armor for about three hours. Fred Maximillian wanted to go to bed, sleep and plan on how he was going to fight against evil throughout the land. He would have left except that the person who had written the letter might come. As a knight, it was his duty to wait for that person.  
  
He could feel himself beginning to doze. He swayed for a moment and put out a hand to steady himself. Still, his eyes were beginning to close shut. Suddenly, he felt a hand fall on his shoulder. Fred jumped, turned around and drew his sword all at the same time. Standing before him was Watari. This would have given him another heart attack if Fred hadn't managed to get a hold of himself.  
  
"Watari! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that!" Fred couldn't help but feel annoyed and embarrassed by the sudden wake up call.  
  
"..." Watari looked at him with those golden eyes, not saying anything as usual.  
  
"Well, as a ninja, I guess it is your duty to practice your trade." He muttered grudgingly. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be the one who wrote the letter this morning?" Fred really hoped Watari wasn't the one. He was uncomfortable around the ninja, never knowing what to say. Plus, Watari always looked at him funny.  
  
"..." Watari nodded his head, then looked away as if embarrassed.  
  
"Well. I should be angry after having been forced to wait here for hours, but I can let it slide. Now what is it you want?" Fred felt he was being rather gracious by not being angry. Besides, it was his duty to help those in need.  
  
"Well, I needed to tell you something." The ninja still was trying to avoid looking him in the eyes.  
  
"What?" Fred was getting weirded out for some reason he couldn't quite name. Watari swallowed.  
  
"I like you." Watari replied bluntly.  
  
"Eh? Like?" Fred felt as if the planet had come to a sudden standstill. Plus, he could no longer grasp the meaning of the word 'like.' A situation which Watari seemed to notice.  
  
"Well, more like 'love." The two stood there for a few minutes. Fred suddenly understood just what was being said but didn't quite believe it.  
  
"What, are you insane? Or is this just some stupid joke?" Fred couldn't help but feel he was being teased. It wouldn't be the first time.  
  
"Please. I'm being serious." Watari sounded wounded. To the knight, the situation was too absurd. He started to leave, determined to forget that the farce had ever happened. But, he found Watari was standing in his way.  
  
"Fine. I'll prove it to you." Said the ninja, a scary tone in his voice. Watari pulled the mask down from his face with the one hand. Fred felt his breath catch for a moment. Watari was really beautiful. Beautiful and at that moment a little scary. Fred snapped out of his musing.  
  
"Please, get out of my way." He tried to get around the ninja, but it proved fruitless. In flash, Watari slung his leg against Fred's heel causing him to trip. Fred fell hard on his back. Watari sat down on top of him, straddling his hips. Fred felt a blush rise to his cheeks.  
  
"What do you think you're doing? I demand you get off of me at once!" Fred said as he tried to push Watari off. Only to find that Watari had both his wrists in a death grip. He was surprised that the ninja was so strong. Suddenly Watari's face was only a breath apart from his. A devious look crossed the ninja's face.  
  
And then Watari bridged the gap and kissed him. Fred froze up, unused to the situation. The kiss was warm and pleasant and Fred couldn't remember what he was supposed to be angry about. He felt all the strength go out of his limbs and stopped trying to get out of Watari's grasp. Then the kiss was broken.  
  
"So what do you think of me now?" Asked Watari. Fred lay there, trying to register what had happened. And then it came to him. He violently shoved Watari off of him and left the scene as fast as he could. Watari sat there a few minutes. "That wasn't what I planned, was it?"

* * *

To Be Continued… 


	2. Chapter 2

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst. More angst this chapter.  
  
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.  
  
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.  
  
Notes: Thanks to all those how reviewed, even the negative one. I don't claim to be good except as a joke. As long as some people enjoy this, I'm happy.  
  
Some Revisions have been made to this chapter.  
  
Please Read and Review…

* * *

Chapter 2  
  
Watari was cold and unable to move. He felt rooted, his whole body stiff.   
  
/I'm a fool. An absolute fool. I shouldn't have done that./  
  
The more cautious part of his personality had warned him against trying to get the knight's acknowledgement. He had ignored it and look where it had gotten him. He was humiliated and undone. Everyone was going to know by tomorrow. It would be unbearable and the worse thing was, Watari was trapped. Until the war was over, he would have to remain and work with these people.  
  
/Maximillian wasn't worth this. I should've known better./ It hurt demeaning himself like that and in front of someone he'd come to respect and adore. He hated the fact that he was remembering when it had started…

* * *

A month ago, had been a flu going around the castle, forcing a number of the soldiers to bed. Even Cecile had been forced to take time off. This left the castle without any night or day watch. The able bodied were forced to draw shifts to make up the slack.  
  
And Watari just happened to draw the same shift as Fred. He had looked at the slip in his hand with disdain. /Why not Ayame? Why not Jacques or Toppo? Why me? Why did I have to be drawn tonight? With him of all people./ He didn't know Fred well, but he knew enough to realize the man seriously annoyed him. More then other people in the castle. The knight was loud and full of it, always looking down on Watari as dishonorable.   
  
That night he walked to his post, trying to tell himself that he could handle it, despite his misgivings.. After all, Maximillian couldn't be a complete idiot.  
  
"Watari, you are a minute late." Fred said giving the ninja a glance.   
  
/A minute! The clocks in that castle are slow. Besides, I had to sharpen my blades!/ He said nothing though, merely taking his post.  
  
"I guess I can allow it to slide this once. But, remember that a minute can be the difference between life or death. We can't allow lapses like this on the battle field."  
  
/I'll show you a minute's difference…wouldn't take me a half second to slit your throat./ Nothing was done though…  
  
As Watari thought about the incident, he cursed himself. /Why did he have to change? Why couldn't he have just stayed annoying?/  
  
"Watari, are you awake?" Fred looked at him quizzically. /Why would he ask that?/  
  
"…" Watari nodded, saying nothing. Fred smiled apologetically.  
  
"You are rather quiet. And since I know of some soldiers that sleep with their eyes opened…" /Eyes opened? Even I'm not that good. Does he think I'm inhuman?/  
  
Everything was quiet again, then he felt a tenseness in the air. "Watari…why do you fight?"  
  
/What kind of question is that?/  
  
"Because it's my contract."   
  
Fred looked at him in disbelief. "That's all!? Surely you must have some reason? Honor, glory, something you want to protect." The knight seemed confused by this rather boring and practical response.  
  
/Honor. Glory. Something to protect. No, I don't. Maybe at one time, but not now. After that day, never again./  
  
"What about you?" The ninja was feeling strangely defensive at the moment.   
  
"To fight evil of course!" Fred replied enthusiastically, not noticing Watari's mood.  
  
/Child's answer. Fool's answer. Idealistic moron. I'm surrounded by them./  
  
"…" Watari stared into the distance, not responding.   
  
"And," Fred's voice was soft, "I hope to be a great man, like my grandfather. To be as strong as him, to bring honor to his name." Fred had a gentler look on his face so different from that look of haughty pride he normally carried. It caught Watari off guard.   
  
Nothing else was said after that. Yet, it was all that had been needed to send Watari down his current path. He had seen something different in a certain person and he wanted to find out what it was. He needed to find out, because of what it stirred inside him.  
  
He began to pay attention to Fred Maximillian. He didn't catch a glimpse of that gentler side again, but in time he came to a new appreciation Fred himself. Strong, courageous and generally straightforward. Insensitive, loud and reckless.  
  
The way his eyes flashed, the determination in his face. It made Watari feel strange, compelled. He hadn't felt that way since Highland, where all his ideals had been stripped away from him.  
  
It became love, almost obsessive. He'd have strange dreams, feel heated and weak at the knees. He felt ravaging need that wouldn't leave him alone. He detested how weak it made him. Unfortunately, it wouldn't remain clamped down. It boiled inside making him more and more irrational. There were times when it turned into pure hatred or animal lust.   
  
At times, he wanted just wanted to scream it out loud. But, he couldn't. And he didn't know if he wanted to approach Fred and say it to him. Not so simply, not just like that. He wanted to have Fred's complete attention. Nothing awkward or suspicious. No possibility of being interrupted. But, Watari knew no other way to get what he wanted. Nothing he was comfortable with.   
  
It was during one day of stressed pacing when he had come upon a solution. Belle had been standing in the hall that day, handing something to Emily.  
  
"Why can't you put it in the Suggestion Box? What if someone catches me with this girly thing?" Emily whined, clutching the piece of paper.  
  
"Emily, I can't. What if Hugo saw me…" The gadget girl was twiddling a gear between her fingers.  
  
"Aww come on. It's just asking him to meet you somewhere. He won't realize it's a love letter." The fighter girl was casually looking at Belle who was now irate.  
  
"Emily! Don't say that out loud!"  
  
The event, though insignificant kept coming up in Watari's mind. It was a silly idea practiced by love sick girls. Yet, it seemed like a good idea. Watari soon found that he wasn't talented at writing letters. He gave up until that little incident came up in his mind yet again.   
  
He could arrange a meeting. The idea was immediately appealing as it fit his professional demeanor. He planned it out to the last detail, his logic flawless. It should have gone smoothly. But, Watari's emotions had betrayed him and Fred's anger, while not unexpected, had hurt more then Watari thought possible.  
  
/Whoever said love hurts wasn't far off./ Watari shuddered, scared that his feelings were doing more damage then some assassin's blade ever could. He hated it. And it wasn't like he could just kill Fred to make up for the social damage that was about to occur. As tempting as that was…   
  
/It will be a long morning./  
  
To Be Continued… 


	3. Chapter 3

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst. More angst this chapter.  
  
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.  
  
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.  
  
Notes: Thanks for the reviews. All opinions are appreciated.   
  
Please Read and Review…

* * *

Chapter 3  
  
Fred laid on his bed, tossing and turning. He wanted to sleep and forget that dreadful event. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Of course, who could blame him considering what had happened? What he needed, was either a good whack on the head or a stiff drink. But, both options were unhealthy and the knight didn't approve of drunkenness.   
  
/Watari…likes me? Watari, of all people. How? I thought he hated me./ Fred was not a thinker by nature. He was a doer, a man of action. And he was defiantly not the type to remain anxious for more then an hour at the most.  
  
But, now his brain wouldn't turn off. It didn't help that he couldn't forget the feeling of those lips on his. He felt ashamed, angry, excited and afraid. Bad enough that someone had been thinking perverted thoughts about him. Worse that he had been weak and allowed that to happen.  
  
/He treated me as if I was some, some common harlot! Even worse, I acted like one!/  
  
What to do, what to do? If this got out, it would be a serious blow to his pride. Even though he pretended not to know it, Fred realized he was a thought to be a fool by most. If this Watari thing came up, what would people say then?   
  
/Grandfather, forgive me for dragging your name and the knighthood through the dirt./

* * *

Watari got off the elevator and glanced around the basement. Since that strange Winger Landis had arrived, this had become a favorite spot of Ayame's. The ninja couldn't figure out why though. He walked through the pathways, not making a sound. After a while, he heard the sounds of clanging. He blended into the shadows and tracked the noise.  
  
He eventually came across a large chamber and situated himself behind a boulder. Ayame and Landis were fighting as usual. Each blocking the other's attack, trying but never gaining the advantage over the other. A pure battle, almost poetry in motion.  
  
/Why can't I be as easily satisfied as her?/  
  
At that moment Landis gained an advantage. He had some how gotten behind Ayame and had both her arms pinned back. She stood there, stock still, not acknowledging her obvious defeat. Landis whispered into her ear.  
  
"You still don't have what it takes to win. I think you're getting soft. Castle life's a little too easy on you."  
  
"…" Ayame said nothing, remaining quiet.   
  
"Well, not that it matters. I think we have a guest." The winger grinned as he glanced where Watari was hiding. "Come out, come out little mousy." Watari waited a few minutes, then jumped on top of the boulder. "I'll leave you two kiddies alone. Play nice." Landis flapped his wings and sped down one of the tunnels, off to who knows where.  
  
Ayame turned to look at Watari, but said nothing. To anyone else the silence would have been unbearable, but for these two it spoke volumes. Ayame nodded after a moment and Watari leapt next to her.   
  
"…What is it?" Ayame asked after five minutes. She was often the first to speak when the two were alone. If not for her, the two would never get anywhere.  
  
"…" Watari remained there, not saying anything. As if sensing something, Ayame turned and walked away from him, but stopped for a moment..  
  
"If you want to die, you'll have to wait. I don't know what's going on, but I will not put you out of your misery. The day I kill you, it will be as punishment for your betrayal. Not as a release." She walked away, not giving him a second glance, her contempt obvious.  
  
/Shameful. It was shameful to beg like that./

* * *

  
  
Fred groaned, turning once again. It was morning and normally he was one of the first to wake. But, he usually didn't stay up this long. He scrunched his eyes shut, vowing to spend the whole day locked away in his room. He just had to ignore that infernal knocking.  
  
"Master Fred! Are you awake? Master Fred!" Came Rico's voice as she pounded on the door. Fred closed his eyes as he buried his face in his pillow.  
  
"Go away Rico!"  
  
"But…"   
  
"I said go away!" He yelled. The silence that followed made him regret it, but he said nothing. Until he was more composed, letting other people see him was not an option.   
  
/I'll make it up to her later./

* * *

Watari walked back to his room that morning, angered and upset. Ayame's message was clear. Face your problems with dignity. But, this problem was so…  
  
/What does she know?/  
  
He entered his room and removed most of his clothing. He laid down on his bed, sighing.  
  
/Stupid knight. Stupid emotions. Stupid Ayame. Stupid me. Stupid, stupid, stupid!/  
  
He was going to sleep the entire day away. Then he was going to test the waters and see if anything had been said. If people knew, he would lock himself in this room only to come out for missions. If Fred hadn't talked…well Watari was going to make sure the knight's lips were sealed forever.

* * *

To Be Continued… 


	4. Chapter 4

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst. More angst this chapter.  
  
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.  
  
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.

* * *

Chapter 4  
  
When someone tried to wake him once more, Fred decided that he just might have to resort to violence. This desire only increased when he opened the door to find Borus Redrum was the one who was doing the knocking.  
  
"I am sorry Sir Borus, but I am not well and it would please me to no end if you would leave me alone." Fred said as he began to close the door. Borus didn't seem to get the idea though.  
  
"I am afraid, Sir Fred that I do not have that luxury. It is my wish to spar with you today. I will not let you get away with that insult from last week." Fred blinked at the Zexen knight as if he had gone mad.  
  
/Last week…but that was over…/  
  
"I had thought we already cleared up that misunderstanding, Sir Borus. I made it quite clear that I have no interest in courting Lady Chris."   
  
"Your squire, Rico, has said otherwise." Borus had a slight set to his jaw.  
  
"Rico has a tendency towards exaggeration as do many girls her age." Fred was already making a note in his head to talk to his squire about her gossipy tendencies at a later time.  
  
"I can not trust your word on that. You have kept close company with her as of late. Too close for my comfort."   
  
"We are not lovers. Merely comrades in the fight against evil. Nothing more."  
  
/I hope that sounds stern enough./  
  
"I still cannot trust that. And either way, as a point of honor, I must win. A loss against a foreign knight is bad for my reputation. I demand that you get dressed and come down to the training grounds." Fred knew there was no way out of this. Not without losing face and honor.  
  
"Fine. I will meet you down there."

* * *

"See Percival, I told you he'd show up." Borus gestured towards Fred's approaching figure.  
  
"Really now. Borus, I think you should just drop this whole matter. I honestly do not think he is interested in Lady Chris. And besides, you are making a fool out of yourself." Percival shook his head, feeling embarrassed for the both of them.  
  
"I am not! That loss was a disgrace. He should have gone down after that hit. It's like he doesn't understand the concept of pain."   
  
"It is rude to talk about people behind their backs." Fred glared as he came with in earshot.  
  
"We will see who is rude after I win this match." Borus drew his sword and Fred did the same. Percival backed off. As the duel began, the knight of gale began to have doubts. Mainly because, he had never seen Maximillian so angry before. And Borus's cursing only confirmed his worry.  
  
"Maiximillian, you are stronger then I thought…but I will win!" Borus yelled as he attempted to drive the other knight back. He had already struck a blow to Fred's leg, yet the other knight was still holding his ground.  
  
"You shouldn't underestimate me!" Fred smashed forward, nearly driving the sword from Borus's grip. But, he had left himself wide open in the process.  
  
"You're the one who is underestimating your opponent!" Borus said as he landed a blow on Fred's side, causing the knight's grip on his sword to loosen. The Zexen knight took this opportunity to disarm him. He raised the tip of his blade to Fred's throat. "Looks like I win this time."   
  
Fred's legs gave out at that moment as he fell to his knees, clutching his side. "Yes, you did." Fred muttered through gritted teeth.  
  
/Nothing's been going right lately./

* * *

Watari wasn't able to sleep for very long either. This was due to a creepy scratching noise at his door. Quickly getting dressed, he grabbed a knife and cautiously opened the door. He looked down to see…Koruko, the castle's dog. He sighed and turned away in disgust. Before he could close the door though, the dog rushed inside.  
  
/Oh by all the true runes…/  
  
He opened the door and made a motion towards Koruko that clearly indicated the mutt should get out. The dog chose to sit on his bed instead, tongue lolling out and tail wagging. He walked over to the bed and glared at him, hoping the dog would take a hint.   
  
"Leave. Now." He said sternly. Koruko walked over to him and nuzzled his head against Watari. The ninja looked into the dog's eyes. They seemed to say, "I'll listen."   
  
/Oh, fine./   
  
Watari shut the door and sat down on the bed. The dog laid it's head on the ninja's lap. He began to pet it, feeling a little awkward. What would people think if they saw him petting a dog?  
  
"…" Koruko looked up at him, a sympathetic look his face. Watari swallowed, knowing that he was going to say something stupid. "Have you ever been in love?"

* * *

"My, my Sir Borus. To cause such injury to Sir Fred. You really were going at it." Tuta said as he looked at Fred's side. Mio gave Percival and Borus a condemning look.  
  
"It wasn't my fault. Sir Fred wasn't even trying." Muttered Borus, obviously feeling guilty, but not wanting to admit it.  
  
"I was too. It has been an off day, that is all." Fred hissed as Tuta applied some more bandages.  
  
"Now, now. No fighting. We don't need anymore broken ribs around here." The doctor said as he finished dressing the wounds. "There. That ought to do it." Tuta stood up with a satisfied smile on his face. "Just make sure to see me tomorrow so I can change these. Well, if you'll excuse us, Mio and I will be taking our lunch break." As the two left, the room got a little too quiet.  
  
"Well now. It seems everything is alright. Sir Fred, will you be needing any help getting to your room?" Percival asked, sounding for all the world as if it was his fault.  
  
"No, that will be fine. I can help myself." Fred stood stiffly, wincing in pain.  
  
"Are you sure?" Even though he hadn't been the one to wound him, Percival felt responsible for not stopping the fight.  
  
"Of course he's not alright." Borus said in annoyance. "Come on. Let's take you back to your room. You can't walk like that." Before Fred could protest, he found Borus was hauling him out of the room.   
  
Percival grinned to himself. "He could just say he was sorry."

* * *

"And he ran off. He looked so angry." Watari finished relating his story to the dog, who had been all ears the whole time. "I made a fool of myself for nothing. Worse yet, Ayame thinks I'm a wretched coward."  
  
Koruko whimpered and licked Watari's face. Or rather his mask. He pushed the dog away, feeling a little disgusted.  
  
/My pride as a ninja seems to be withering away more and more. First a crush on an idiot and now…I'm talking to a dog./  
  
He began to pace around the room, trying to come up with something to do. Anything that would solve his problem. It was when he realized that Koruko was following him around, that Watari knew he looked like a fool.  
  
/That's it. I'm out of here./   
  
He said as he opened the door and hurried out of the room, the dog in close pursuit.

* * *

As soon as the two Zexen Knights had gotten Fred to his room, Borus had excused himself, saying something about Lady Chris and wine. Fred was expecting Percival to leave as well, but was surprised when the Zexen sat down in an unoccupied chair instead.  
  
"Really, Sir Percival. I am fine. Rico will be here later on to look after me. At least I hope so." He said as an afterthought.   
  
"That is not why I am here. I am curious as to why you lost." He looked at Fred intently.  
  
"It simply wasn't my day and Sir Borus is a finer swordsmen then I." Fred didn't like admiing that he had a weakness, but that seemed to be the only way to get Percival off his back.  
  
"You are no weaker than he is. There seemed to be something on your mind." Fred turned away abruptly, hoping the redness in his face wasn't obvious.  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Well, besides the way you reacted just now…how do I put it…you don't seem as energetic as usual. And the fact that you didn't want to fight Borus, now that is highly unusual." Seeing Fred's shoulders tense, Percival's smile only widened. "Do you mind telling me what it is? I will not tell. Is it by chance a lady?"  
  
Fred gulped and turned around. "Y-You could say that." Percival leaned forward, staring Fred in the eye.  
  
"I knew it! Not Lady Chris, I'd assume, but someone else. Or is it Lady Chris?" He asked cautiously.  
  
"No, it is not Lady Chris. It is…" Fred realized that he probably shouldn't say that it was Watari, let alone a man. "Someone who lives within the castle."  
  
"Well, that is rather vague. What happened?"   
  
"Well, that is…"

* * *

Watari still hadn't rid himself of the dog. It seemed determined to follow him. Watari thought about kicking the dog, but couldn't bring himself to commit such an act of cruelty.   
  
/I'm so weak./  
  
He had entered the town square and was receiving strange looks from people. They were no doubt unused to seeing a ninja being trailed by a loveable dog who happened to be wearing a scarf. Watari looked behind himself one more time to see the dog who was still following. He felt himself bump into someone, nerely causing them to stumble. He kept going, not muttering an apology, only to feel someone jerking on his wrist.  
  
Turning around, he realized, with a feeling of dread, that he had bumped into Lilly Pendragon. "How dare you run into me without apologizing! The nerve! What if I had fallen in the mud and ruined my outfit? Or I could have broken my leg!" He looked around, hoping he could get away from her. Since there seemed to be no Samus or Reed, his chances were pretty good. If only he could get out of her grip without threatening her.  
  
"Well, don't you have anything to say for yourself!" She stared at him, as if her eyes could shoot fire. Before Watari could free himself, her expression changed. "Wait a moment. I have the perfect idea!"

* * *

"So you just stomped all over that poor woman's feelings?" Percival was in shock and it was all Fred could do to keep from burying his face in shame.  
  
"I did not mean to be so insensitive. It was just so…unexpected. And they were so bold."  
  
"Yes, but still. For a woman to throw herself at you like that and be rejected so thoroughly." Percival had a sad look on his face.  
  
/I really wish he'd stop saying woman./   
  
"I am not experienced in such matters…" He really, really didn't like admitting it either.   
  
"Still, do you have any idea how you feel for her? Do you honestly dislike her? Or if you don't dislike her, are your feelings nothing more than friendship?"  
  
"I-I don't know. I don't dislike this person. But, I don't know hi-I mean her, very well." Percival noticed the little slip, but said nothing, looking thoughtful for a second.  
  
"But, that aside, are you really that adverse to a relationship with them?"  
  
"It isn't that I…it's not…I just don't have the time for it! I have to stay focused on my quest." At least, Fred thought it sounded right. Percival seemed to be deep in thought for a few minutes.  
  
"I think…you need to think very carefully either way. Accepting and not accepting another's advances can have serious consequences for both parties." He stood up slowly. "Either way, I think you should apologize to them for the way you reacted last night. Let them know your reasons at least." With that, the knight had left the room.  
  
"That would mean I have to talk to him again…" Fred felt a knot of dread form in his stomach.

* * *

Watari looked at empty storage room that Lily had lead him into. The girl had locked the doors behind them and was now looking him in the eye.  
  
"Listen, this favor I am about to ask you must remain secret. Do I have your word that you will not tell anyone what transpires in here?" Her gaze was piercing. Watari could have just disappeared, but had decided the distraction would be welcome. Besides, he had finally lost the dog. He nodded towards Lily, who smiled in satisfaction.  
  
"Good. Now the reason I brought you here…" She breathed in a deep sigh. "I need…a dance partner."

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
I know, I know. This last chapter was a little strange. Especially the part with Lily. But, it will be explained next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst.  
  
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.  
  
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.

* * *

Chapter 5  
  
Watari had quickly developed the opinion that dancing was silly. It obviously served no purpose other than to have two bodies pressed closely to one another. Granted, he had no special feelings about being pressed up against Lily Pendragon's body. Which confirmed any doubts he had left about his sexuality as he knew that she was a fine, young woman with all the proper curves and any normal man would have a more 'intense' reaction to the situation.  
  
"Watari, you're supposed to be leading!" He looked down at her realizing he had been zoning out again. She shook her head and sighed. "Fine, I'll lead!" She adjusted the position of her hands and began to move again but was forced to stop when Watari stumbled. "When someone leads, you are supposed to follow." She looked at him venomously.   
  
"…" He looked at her blankly, still not clear on leading as it applied to dancing.  
  
"Honestly, you should be honored that I would even consider allowing you this privilege. Start acting like you know how to dance!"   
  
/This privilege…There is no honor in this. I'm being bossed around by some tomboy. Who happens to be the daughter of Gustav, leader of Tinto. One of the city-states responsible for subjugating Highland./  
  
"Don't tell me you've really never danced before? Well, I suppose this way, we'll both be getting something out of it. Come on." She once again placed her arms around him, one around his shoulders, the other on the small of his back. "Now listen. When I move, you move with me. Just let my hands guide you." He did as she said, finding it a little easier this time. But, at the same time he was annoyed that it had been something so easy.  
  
/How is it that I keep on humiliating myself?/  
  
It was as if someone had cursed him to be a fool.

* * *

Rico sighed as she sat at a lone table at Mamie's restaurant, stirring around a piece of peach cobbler. She didn't know what to make of Fred's behavior this morning. She had been waiting up last night, hoping to hear the great tale of how he clobbered his latest opponent. But instead she had fallen asleep and this morning had been surprised at his temper.  
  
/I wonder what happened? It must have been bad for him to be sulking like that./  
  
Fred was generally a cheerful person, but could also behave like a spoiled brat on occasion. And while he did snap at her quite a bit, Rico usually took it in stride. After all, he had it rough, trying to rebuild the glory of the knighthood from scratch.  
  
Still, he never got that mad after a fight, win or lose. Had something gone wrong? She looked down at her cobbler, which had gotten cold. "Would you like some of mine?" Came a congenial voice. She turned around to see Percival behind her.  
  
"Oh, Sir Percival, th-that's quite alright! Really, you don't need to bother yourself!" Rico blushed, embarrassed to receive such an offer from him. She wasn't in love with Sir Percival, but like most young women around the castle, found him to be very attractive and charming.  
  
"Well, can I at least sit down?" He smiled at her, causing Rico to get even more flushed. She nodded her head quickly, watching as Percival sat down. They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Percival spoke up. "I must admit, Miss Rico, that my intentions aren't entirely pure." Seeing the girl's shocked look, he quickly reassured her. "I don't mean any harm. I am just curious about Sir Fred. He is apparently having romantic problems and I was wondering who it might be."  
  
Rico dropped her fork, amazement on her face. Amazement because Percival was getting her started on one of her favorite subjects. "Well, why do you ask?" She'd play it cool for now and see who he no doubt thought it was.  
  
"Well, I had a conversation with him not to long ago and apparently a certain person has confessed their love to him. He wasn't forthcoming with their identity though. I was sure you would have some notion as to who it was." He smiled at Rico, piling on the charm.  
  
/What? Someone confessed their love to Sir Fred and he didn't tell me!?/  
  
"Oh, well…it's hard to say really…" Mentally, the squire started compiling a list of those whom it could be. Though, if anyone could have looked in on her list, they would have considered half of these 'so-called prospects' idle fantasies.

* * *

Fred had been laid up for a few hours at this time and had been pondering what he was supposed to do in this situation. He knew there were rules for properly rejecting someone, it's just that he had never been taught those rules. He had always just assumed that it would be the same as rejecting a pushy merchant. In retrospect, that had been foolish thinking on his part. More foolish than his usual conclusions.  
  
/Another man of all things…One who could easily kill me without a second thought./  
  
He really had no opposition towards two people of the same gender conducting a relationship. As long as it was within the bounds of decency and both parities were honest with one another, he really didn't care. It was just that he had no interest in relationships at this time in his life. Sure, one day he would no doubt find a lady to wed have children with. The line needed an heir after all…  
  
/That's it! That's my excuse!/   
  
Surely that excuse wouldn't get him killed! And it would hopefully spare the ninja's feelings. Granted, the knight didn't realize that he was being naïve once again, but…that was beside the point. His mind was made up and nothing was going to stop him. Tomorrow, he speak with Watari and hope there were no hard feelings.

* * *

"And there is that one woman who does the laundry…I know she's had her eye on him for a long time…" Rico had been on a roll for an hour and while Percival had been enjoying the conversation, he needed to steer it back in the proper direction.  
  
"Well, I was wondering…" Oh, how was he supposed to say this and still be tactful? "Is it possible that he is not interested in women?" Rico blinked for a few minutes then looked thoughtful.  
  
"Well, he never has wanted a relationship. He's the kind of man who is married to his work. Even though it is expected that he is to marry one day, he seems against the whole idea." Still not quite the answer Percival was looking for, but he could work with it.  
  
"Is there any reason he would deny himself a woman's company?" The girl's confused look prompted Percival to go further. "Is it possible that the reason he isn't interested in women, is because he is not attracted to them?"   
  
"But, he…Why are you asking this if you yourself said he got a confession of love from a woman?" Here came the really hard part and morally, he wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing. But, all the same, his curiosity wouldn't let him be either.  
  
"I never said it was from a woman. I just said someone confessed to him. And based on his behavior, I have every reason to believe that the confession was from a man."

* * *

"I must say, I'm surprised that you have improved so quickly. That is quite admirable." Lily had a satisfied look on her face. As much as he hated to admit it, Watari was glad that he had gone along with one of her whims. Dancing, now that he had a taste of it, was a lot like fighting. There was a method to it and not just anyone could do it. Well, at least not well. Sure, he wasn't going to be going to any dances soon, but that was beside the point. He had ended up not looking terrible foolish in front of this girl, which was a plus considering all the humiliation he had already endured this week.  
  
"I think we should quit for today. I still need to get some paperwork sent out now or else this will be all for nothing. Make sure you come here tomorrow at the same time."   
  
/What? There's going to be a next time?/  
  
He was about to demand an explanation, only to find that Lily was already gone. He should have ran after her and said no or at the very least asked why. But, asking 'why' went against everything he had been taught as a ninja. Though, considering everything else he had thrown away…honor, pride and allegiance, loyalty would only be one more thing…  
  
As he exited the room, his thoughts were interrupted by a certain dog.  
  
/Oh, crap./  
  
"What would make you think a man would..?" Rico was looking at Percival as if he was touched in the head.  
  
"Well, it is possible. And there was something he said that has lead me towards this conclusion. Do you have any idea? He said it was someone he wasn't terribly familiar with."  
  
"Well, I would say Sir Futch…he's from Dunan like us, but you said he wasn't familiar with that person. Not Sir Franz either then. Or, Sir Nash…Sir Borus?" They both shook looked thoughtful for a moment and shook their heads. "Definitely not. Certainly not you, or else you wouldn't be asking….Hmm…well, in any case, that explains why he was so cranky this morning."  
  
"Well, in either case…do you think he has any inclinations towards his own kind?" Percival was no longer smiling, and was looking Rico square in the eye.  
  
"Well…no. I seriously doubt it. Sure I have no proof, but then again…" She found herself faltering. She had to defend Fred, but she really didn't know how to do it. And the idea that he might be interested in men, while shocking, explained certain things she had noticed. Little things, that she as his closest companion had always wondered about.   
  
"I am not trying to make any trouble for him. I am just concerned. I respect him very much and merely want to help him. But, maybe I've said too much."  
  
"No. You've done nothing wrong Sir Percival. He would never have told me in a million years. I swear that man's pride…" She mumbled something to herself, now sounding frustrated. "I'll have to get to the bottom of this…"  
  
"Well, in any case…I must be leaving now, as duty calls. You will tell me if you find out anything, won't you?" Seeing Rico nod, Percival walked off, feeling satisfied.  
  
It was meddling on his part and highly improper, but it was a part of his nature. Originally part of the peasant community, he had inherited the tendency towards gossip, especially when it concerned the romantic endeavors of others. And this situation promised to be as interesting as Lady Chris's troubles. Not that he didn't want it to all work out for the best, but he just couldn't help but dig for those juicy, little tidbits.   
  
/Borus is right. I am a scoundrel./

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Sorry, we don't get to find out what Lily is up to yet. But, it will be fun. As for Percival/Lily, who knows? I originally had the plot going a different route and neither Percy or Lily figured into the story at all. But, now…  
  
As for a past for Watari, I am going to come up with it in little bits. He's a hard character to figure out. We have all these tantalizing tidbits on him, but nothing concrete. The mystery of the ninja, eh?   
  
Thanks to all my reviews…it means a lot to me. 


	6. Chapter 5

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst.  
  
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.  
  
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.

* * *

Chapter 6  
  
Fred was resolved the next day to do the proper thing and apologize to Watari. And then he would make sure to tell the ninja in as direct and tactful a manner possible why it would never work out. Yes, as soon as Rico would stop acting so weird, he could come up with the perfect speech.  
  
"Rico, why are you staring at me?" Since early that morning, she had been looking at him as if she had never seen him before in her life. It was getting annoying and freaking him out a little.  
  
"Oh, I'm not starring." She said as she continued to stare.  
  
"Right." He muttered to himself. He knew he had to get rid of her, as he didn't want her to see this conversation with Watari. In his mind, such a thing wouldn't inspire confidence in one's superiors.  
  
"Rico, if this is about yesterday morning, I apologize. Such behavior was rude on my part and you certainly didn't deserve to be yelled at. I'm sorry." She blinked for a few minutes, then shook her head.  
  
"No, no. It's okay. You have a lot of problems. A lot of problems, that you should _tell_ me about." She looked him in the eye, an intent look on her face.  
  
/What is she…/  
  
"Uh, sure Rico. Anytime." As he got up to leave though, she conveniently stood in front of him. "Is there something else?" There was a sly grin there, which indicated he was about to be at the mercy of her wit.  
  
"You never did tell me who sent that letter or what it was about. I think now would be a perfect time to spill the details." At that moment, he had a feeling that she knew more then he wanted her to.

* * *

Watari leaned once more against his favorite spot, trying to figure out two things: one, how to get out of dancing with Lilly again, and two, how to get rid of the damn dog. It was sitting next to him, it's tail wagging and ruining his image even further.  
  
/Do I smell like a sausage or something?/  
  
"Who would have thought it? Watari of the Black Wind making friends with a cute, little doggy." Came a smug and oh so familiar voice. Watari's head shot up and came face to face with Mike. He glared at the man, a surge of anger welling within him. Mike smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Ah and if that wasn't enough, hanging around with some Tinto girl."  
  
"…" Watari glared, unable to hide his emotions.  
  
/How dare he? What does he want?/  
  
"It's cute, really. I always thought you needed a social life. And little Ayame's here as well. She's doing very well. But, that's to be expected. After all, she was always more stable than you. But, that's not saying much, considering your personality."  
  
"What is it you want?" The ninja somehow managed to keep his voice level. Mike stepped closer, causing Koruko to growl.  
  
"Shut up mutt." The detective spat at the dog, barely able to contain his disgust. He then turned to Watari, wearing that pleasant, meaningless smile of his. "I just thought I should make something clear to you. We are old friends. And well, I don't need anyone knowing that. I would like you to forget we ever met. You know nothing about me, is that crystal clear?"  
  
Watari's stomach turned at that smile, which was filled with malice. "I try to forget everyday."  
  
"Good boy. If I have to say anything in your favor, it's that you know how to follow orders. No doubt much better than that flea bag. Well, I'll see you." He began to walk off, as if nothing had happened.  
  
"Wait." Watari called out. Mike turned, an expectant look on his face. "You won't bother Ayame, will you?"   
  
"No. Unlike you, she has never seen my face. She has no clue who I am. Which is as it should be. If only you had been so fortunate." The detective walked off, leaving Watari shaken. Koruko barked as if to say good riddance. Once Mike was out of sight, Watari slumped against the wall, the feeling of revulsion taking over.  
  
/Why all this? Why now?/

* * *

Fred smiled to himself as he walked down the halls. He had finally gotten rid of Rico by exercising his authority over her as the Captain of their order. While the two were close, Rico often forgot that there was a chain of command that needed be followed.   
  
Though, the way she had been acting had bothered him. He wondered if she knew about Watari. And he also suddenly wondered if he really should have talked to Percival about this. Though, Percival thought it was a woman so…  
  
/And Rico always, always thinks I have a crush on some woman. So…/  
  
He decided not to worry about it, concentrating on his destination. He would speak with Watari and ease over any ill feelings. Then, he could go on and deal problems. Problems that were much more important than a crush.   
  
Yes, in fact it was silly that he had been agonizing over it as much as he had. So what if another man was in love with him? It really wasn't that different than a woman being in love with him. Well, it was highly irregular, but Watari was normal compared to most of the people in the castle.  
  
Yes, more normal and probably more agreeable than most. Like Lilly Pendragon, who was walking ahead of him. She was disagreeable, loud, bossy and strangely masculine for a noble woman. And she treated her two attendants quite badly. Fred liked to think that he was much kinder to Rico then Lilly was to Samus and Reed.  
  
Speaking of the strange, obnoxious girl, it seemed odd that she was heading this way. From what Fred knew of her, Lilly didn't seem to be the type who liked dark basements. If she had needed something, she would have sent Samus or Reed to do it.  
  
"Watari! There you are!" She yelled as she turned the corner.  
  
/What!? What does she want with him?/

* * *

Watari straightened up at the familiar bellow. There was Lilly, glaring at him, burning with primal fury. Koruko yipped and cowered behind Watari's legs. "What is it?"  
  
"You are late!" Actually, he an hour before the scheduled time, and he hadn't wanted to go anyways. In fact, now was the perfect time to assert himself.  
  
"Listen, unless you pay me, I see no reason to continue with this arrangement." She looked ready to explode at that moment.  
  
"You insolent, little maggot!!"

* * *

Fred was peaking around the corner, trying to figure out what the argument was about.  
  
/It almost sounds like a…lover's quarrel. Or some other kind of scandal./   
  
He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a little angry.  
  
/Was he just playing with me? Or is his heart that fickle? Wait, why am I getting angry? This is a good thing./  
  
As he was thinking these things though, his nose was beginning to tickle. The knight tried to fight back the sneeze in vein. "Achoo!"

* * *

Lilly turned around at the sneezing noise. "Who is it? I demand that you show yourself at once." Fred came out of hiding, trying to maintain his composure. Watari stiffened visibly.  
  
"I apologize. I wasn't eavesdropping . I was just…" Lilly's gaze, not to mention Watari's presence was robbing the knight of all speech. The noble woman glared at Fred as if he was lower than dirt.  
  
"You were what? Well?" Lilly had a hand on her hip, her lips pursed.  
  
"I was…" Watari frowned at the pathetic display. Suddenly an idea sprang into his head. He threw his arm around Lilly and pulled as if to drag her away.  
  
"What are?" She shouted at the sudden contact. Fred's eyes went wide and you could see what appeared to be rage cross his face. Watari actually felt himself smirk for a bit. He didn't know if it was jealousy or just disgust, but he was glad to get a rise out of the other man.  
  
"Let's get going now. It's time." Watari said to Lilly, leading her off before she could protest, with Koruko in close pursuit.

* * *

"What the hell was that for?" Lilly shouted once they were in the storage room. It didn't help that Koruko was nuzzling up against her.. "How dare you get so familiar with me!" Watari decided to remain silent and let Lilly continue on her rampage. "What if he got the wrong idea? Maximillian is just stupid enough to think that meant something!"  
  
"That was the plan." Watari muttered to himself, not realizing that he had said it out loud until he saw the look on her face.  
  
/Damn it all./  
  
"Why would you want that?" She looked at him suspiciously. "And it better not be because you like me."  
  
"No. It's not." The dog bark in agreement.   
  
"Well, then why?" Lilly still seemed angry and utterly convinced that the ninja had been up to no good.  
  
"…" Now was the time to leave. Watari dashed out of the room, leaving Lilly to bellow and Koruko to yip and whimper.

* * *

"What were they doing? Arm-in-arm?" Fred was pacing back and forth, not sure what he was upset about. Well, he knew it was something…  
  
/What is he trying to do? Why was he with her? Is he using her or…/  
  
He felt as if he had been betrayed. He had been worrying about it all this time and it was obvious that the ninja had considered it a joke. For all he knew, Watari had no feelings for him at all and that other night had merely been the ninja acting on some sort of animal lust.  
  
It made him so mad, the thought that he had merely been an object to someone. Fred had his pride and his honor and to be treated as a, a toy…  
  
It was beyond reproach. This was no longer a matter of awkwardness or humiliation. This was a personal insult. "Damn him!" Fred punched the wall. He would have to catch up to the ninja when he wasn't in Lilly Pendragon's company and have it out with him.

* * *

To Be Continued…  
  
Still don't find out anything about Lilly's plots, sorry. I'm getting to it.  
  
Also, thanks to the reviewer who mentioned Mike. I had forgotten all about him. It really helped with this chapter. 


	7. Chapter 7

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)  
  
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst.  
  
Pairing: Watari/Fred, one sided. Some one sided Landis/Ayame as well and mentions of LilyxOC.  
  
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.

_

* * *

_

Chapter 7

The man slumped to the ground, his jewels making a clinking noise. The blood soaking through his clothes wasn't visible as it blended in with the rich, red velvet he wore. The murderer, a young man, noted the silence in the manor house. It should have been an encouraging sign, but he felt nervous and had to resist the urge to run his hands through his hair.

The sudden sound of sound of someone knocking on the door caused him to react. Next thing he knew, the young man was running and jumped out the window, all in one fluid motion. As he ran, he could hear cries coming from the house. But, he didn't stop, he just kept running. Yet, the place he ended up…

* * *

Watari shook his head at the memory. Which made it really hard to keep his balance in the tree that was his current refuge from dragon women and annoying dogs. He didn't know why he should remember such an insignificant assassination. It had just been a warning to the rest of Dunan. A warning that Highland would soon be free. The death of a state dog. That's all it was. Wait no, it was…

Not his first kill. That had been when he was fourteen. So why was that memory so important, in the sea of so many? And why now? Was it because of Mike? Or was it these weird feelings that the stupid knight aroused in him? What was it?

* * *

"Lily, what do you hope to gain by this? He's not worth it." Said Chris as she looked at the red headed girl she was sitting across from. They were in Chris's room, which was locked and fortunately, soundproofed.

"Chris, you can not possibly understand how that little wretch insulted me!" Lily's fists were clenched as she said this.

"But, you were both eight when it happened!" Chris had just wanted to help Lily out with her problem, but was definitely not in the mood for the girl's nonsense today. Not with everything going on around her.

"That doesn't matter! He called me a tomboy! A man in a girl's body! And he's supposed to be my betrothed!"

"Well then, why don't you cancel the engagement?" Lily got an ugly little pout on her face.

"I would if I could. But, it's for the good of Tinto. The only way out of it is to find a different man. And as far as I'm concerned, all men are idiots." Chris was about to correct her by saying there were some good men, but then she remembered her recent problems and started chuckling.

"I know what you mean. I'm just glad that I don't have to be forced into some silly nonsense like marriage." Lily looked at Chris a moment, surprised to see her lightening up.

"What have they done to you lately?" The silver-haired woman laughed again, knowing that Lily was referring to the Zexen Knights.

"Oh, it's the usual stuff. Borus is being insufferable and picking fights. And Percival… I really don't know what he's been up to lately," She looked thoughtful as she said this. "I just have the feeling that he is up to no good."

"Well, my fiancé isn't the only man annoying me lately either. It's bad enough that Samus and Reed had to leave so as to help escort him here. But then there is that stupid ninja as well." Lily scowled to herself.

"Ninja?" Chris was now a bit thrown.

"Oh, that Watari character." Lily waved dismissively. "I was having him help me practice for when 'he' shows up, but then there was this thing involving Maximillian and well, needless to say, things are looking very down right now."

"Fred?" Chris was now alert as she knew that part of Percival's trouble making involved the Maximillian knight. He'd said so at Ann's bar and since it involved Fred, who was about as naïve as you can get, the female knight was concerned. "Lily, tell me what happened. Right now."

* * *

Fred was muttering to himself as he left yet another terrified guard to wonder at his temper. No one had seen Watari, no one. This was to be expected as he was a ninja and ninja were tricky like that. That's the way the ninjas back home were. Of course, the people of Rokaku weren't so cold and ruthless either. And they were actually nice, and most of them weren't deceitful perverts either.

/How dare he insult my pride? I've been demeaned by murderous, treasonous scum./

"Young man. Hey, young man!" Fred stopped to feel a gnarled hand griping his arm. He turned around to see the old fortune teller, Piccolo looking at him in concern.

"What is it?"

"Why, I happened to notice that you appear to be troubled. I was wondering if you would like a reading, so as to find out the proper solution." The man had a wry smile to his face, which made Fred suspicious. He didn't trust fortune tellers and the like. They were always trying to trick him. Besides, as far as your fortune and your destiny went, the knight didn't care to know. He made his own future.

"I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a rush." The old man wouldn't let go though.

"Maybe I can help you with that." He was stroking his chin with his free hand. Fred grimaced, trying to resist the urge to throw Piccolo aside.

"I'm looking for someone, so I'm afraid I don't have a moment to spare." The old man gave a little hop at that moment.

"Ho, ho. What a coincidence! I have just the spell for that. If you could just help me out by giving me some money…" Fred scowled, knowing for sure that he was being taken for a ride.

"Listen, I don't have any money to give you."

"Oh, but surely you could spare an old man a few coins. A few coins to help with my living expenses, perhaps?" Fred could feel a twitch forming, a small one. It was enough to make him smack the old man. But, his grandfather's words were coming back to him.

Always respect the elderly, boy. Even if they say really crazy or really stupid things.

"Fine." The knight muttered as he found a few coins for the old man. Sometimes, honor and respect could be a curse.

* * *

Landis was perched on a small ledge in the basement, when a strange thought came to him. He couldn't figure out for the life of him, what the relationship between Watari and Ayame was. Such things normally didn't bother the winger, but there was one fact that he was hoping to declare very soon and Watari could be an impediment: Ayame was his and his alone.

Ever since he had first laid eyes on her, Landis had come to desire the pretty, little thing. The first time they talked though had not gone so well. How was he supposed to know that she would not be interested in talking about the god of death and what his plans for dead rats were?

The second time had not gone any better and neither had the third. The subjects and jokes he tried were to no avail. She didn't laugh, look disgusted or start shaking in her boots. She would just give him a slight stare, tempered by anger and leave. It was only during the fourth meeting that he had finally found her trigger.

That day he had been feeling a little flippant and thrown a small stone at her back. Before it could hit her, she had not only smacked it away, but she had thrown a knife at him. He just barely dodged that knife, and next thing he knew, he was fighting for his life. That glorious first battle had ended in a draw and had led to him having plenty of 'practice' sessions with Ayame.

Their training sessions had allowed Landis what he believed to be personal access to a mysterious woman. After a time, he had come to know almost everything about her. Well, everything that counted. Except for Watari.

He knew that the two were part of the same group and that Ayame was trying to kill him for betraying them. Or something like that. But, there was definitely more to it than that. She had said they weren't lovers, but then… What were they?

He had told himself that they must be siblings, except now that he thought about it… They didn't act like any brother or sister he knew of. They acted like they had a bond that was thicker then blood, love or lust. It wasn't fair! He wanted Ayame all to himself. He wasn't going to share her with some demented, loyalty obsessed, basket case.

But, killing Watari wouldn't do any good. If Watari died, then Ayame would leave. No, he couldn't have that. No, not at all. And if the winger wasn't going to kill ninja boy, then there was only one option left. Find out why the always happy gambler Mike, had been talking to the ninja that morning. But, how to get the man to talk without killing him?

* * *

The Piccolo was looking into a crystal ball, his eyes closed. He had long since stopped his annoying laughing and was deep in thought. It had been five minutes and Fred was already bored, and feeling weighed down by the heavy incenses that filled the tent. Finally the old man's eyes fluttered open. He shook his head, looking a little grave.

"Ho, that is most odd."

"What is it?" Fred was a little freaked out by the look in Piccolo's eyes, but decided to ignore it. This was no doubt a part of his act after all.

"The one you seek has a very dark cloud hanging over him. He is bound by his past and has been denied his future."

/Eh, what does that have to do with finding Watari? And why is this fortune so creepy?/

"But, those chains may soon be unbound, if one can only have faith. But, if they aren't unbound soon, all is lost."

/Whatever./

"I'm leaving now Master Piccolo. Thank you for your time." Fred was heading out the tent when he found the old man's cane blocking his way.

"Young man, there is more. If you wish to find what you seek, trust in the dog. Trust in those who share your nobility and in old allies. And new allies, who shall come from unexpected quarters." He lifted his cane out of the way, a solemn look on his face.

"Uh, thank you, I guess." The knight left the tent, shaking his head at the folly of fortune tellers. Little did he know that Piccolo was shaking his own head, at the foolishness of youth.

* * *

Koruko was running around with his nose to ground and feeling utterly lost. He couldn't find that interesting masked guy with the weird hair and the sword. The dog didn't know why, but he found that man to be very interesting. He wasn't fun like Cecile, but there was this feeling he got, as if, as if…

He didn't know what it was, being a dog and all. Koruko just knew that he needed to protect the man. In particular from that mean, smiling man. It was really important, not that the dog knew why. But, he had to remain by the side of the one called Watari.

The dog perked up, thinking he was hearing the ninja, only when he turned around to see the one called Fred. He barked at the knight in greeting, and then went back to looking for the ninja.

* * *

Trust in the dog.

Fred shook his head, thinking it was nonsense. Why should he believe in what that old man said? Of course, everyone knew that Koruko was unusually intelligent for a dog and that he seemed to have a knack for getting into places, but still… He was just a dog. A dog who suddenly let out a howl and started loping off. And Fred didn't know why, but he was following behind the mutt.

After a while, the dog stopped at a tree and started barking. Fred looked up and nearly fell over from disbelief. There was Watari, sitting in the tree, trying to ignore the dog.

/No way. That fortune can't be right, can it?/

* * *

To Be Continued…

Wow, this story keeps developing in ways I never intended it to. So many characters to wonder about. What's Landis going to do? What's up with Koruko? Is Piccolo's fortune hogwash or actually the truth? Who is Lily's fiancé? What is Watari's past and what does it have to do with Mike and Ayame? And what's Fred's part going to be in everything? Should be noted that these questions are more for my benefit then anyone else's.

Oh, and as for Rico and Percival, they will be appearing next chapter, I promise.


	8. Chapter 8

Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)

Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst.

Pairing: Watari/Fred, one sided. Some one sided Landis/Ayame as well and mentions of LilyxOC.

Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.

* * *

Chapter 8

Fred looked up at the tree, a wave of rage nearly over taking him. This wasn't going to be pretty. The ninja was going to regret making a fool out of him. That was for sure.

"Watari!" He shouted at the ninja, who glanced at him once, before turning his gaze back to whatever had been holding his attention before. Fred felt his jaw twitch at this lack of respect. No one ever ignored him. "Watari, I need to speak with you now." But, now the ninja seemed to be tuning him out entirely.

Koruko had stopped barking and was looking at Fred expectantly. The knight himself was feeling angry and was trying to figure out how to get Watari's attention. He looked up at tree and groaned. With his heavy armor, climbing was definitely not an option. And throwing something at the ninja, while tempting, wouldn't be very becoming of a Maximillian Knight.

"Fine, I'll just pretend you're listening." Even though there was still no response from the ninja, he continued. "I feel very wronged by you. It is one thing to claim you harbor certain _affections_ for me. It is quite another to then express said affections in an inappropriate manner." Watari turned his head towards Fred and cocked an eyebrow, but the knight didn't notice. "But, to then go and throw yourself at another person and Lily Pendragon at that…"

One thought crossed Watari's mind, one that pleased him very greatly, even if it wasn't true.

_/ He's jealous. Wouldn't it be nice if that was the truth? /_

"Such behavior screams of one with very loose morals. Well, I suppose that for a man it isn't so… Wait, it is just as bad as a woman doing it." Fred took a moment to puzzle out the double standard, and then decided to give up on it. "The point is, I don't appreciate being used as a release."

_/ A release? /_

And Watari found himself laughing out loud and unable to stop. One could see a twitch forming on Fred's forehead. "What is so funny? I'm being serious here!" Watari leapt down from the tree with releative easy, earning a happy woof from Koruko. Watari closed the distance between himself and the knight, till they were far too close for comfort.

"You are acting like a woman scolding her unfaithful lover." It was hard to tell if Fred was more taken back by the insult or by the fact that Watari was demonstrating what may have been called a comedic wit. All the knight could think to do was respond in the most childish way imaginable.

"I am not." Watari glared at him so harshly that Fred nearly yelped. The ninja then gave Koruko the same look, causing the dog to yelp so loudly, you'd think it was trying to make up for the knight's lack of response. The ninja stalked off, tired of the whole conversation. It took a few minutes for Fred to realize that he had been dismissed yet again.

"I'm not done with you yet!" The knight shouted as he began to chase after Watari. Koruko, heartened by this display followed.

* * *

Landis skulked outside the bar, trying to come up with a plan of action. Mike was in there enjoying a drink and thus was ripe for the plucking. But, if the winger screwed up, he knew he was in trouble. Even before his eavesdropping that morning, Landis had been aware of the detective's inner darkness. It writhed under that fake smile of his and was enough to move the winger to tears.

Landis appreciated the darkness and thus knew he needed to take special measures. In this case, special measure consisted of hoping Mike was like other human men and would get himself punch drunk. Until then, he must lurk outside, scaring the residents of the castle as usual. He was getting horribly bored though. There were only so many times that you could scare people with tales of the angel of death.

* * *

The trail to Dunan and back was long, hard and dangerous. Especially for citizens of that country, such as Samus and Reed. Not to mention that they were forced to bring an unwanted guest back with them. Said unwanted guest had demanded a break just moments away from the castle and was now off exploring the dangerous landscape.

The two men had taken that moment to rest their feet. Plus, this way, they could enjoy being away from their mistress awhile longer. "Samus do you think this is for the best?" Reed looked at his partner in concern.

"You mean marrying her off like this?" Samus kicked his feet against the ground, feeling a listlessness developing, as he was not used to having so many chances to rest.

"Of course I mean marrying her off like this! And to him!" Reed was already getting exasperated as Samus was being unusually dense this whole trip.

"I say good riddance. They suit each other."

"B-But, aren't you going to miss her?" Even though Lily had always been a harsh and temperamental mistress, in Reed's mind, she had always been like a daughter and he hated to see her go. Samus got an exasperated look on his face, as he saw the whole situation differently.

"What is the matter with you, man? This is our chance! Our chance for freedom!"

"Freedom?"

"Think about it. We've been waiting on her for years and years. And what do we get for it? A promotion? Money? Respect?" Reed looked thoughtful for a moment before he was forced to shake his head.

"Exactly! All we get is grief!" Samus was now in full fervor, as was common when he got going.

"But, Samus, you can't honestly say there's no reward out of this. I mean for years, we've been Miss Lily's support and well…" Reed tried to find the words to express himself. "I guess I'd like to think she still has a need for us."

"Reed, my friend, don't let her get to you like that. It's just what she wants."

"But-"

"Listen, I know how you feel. When she was younger, there was a need for us. But, not now. She's always made decisions on her own, but now she's at the point where she can actually be depended on to make the right ones."

"But, Samus, she's so rash and she starts fights and she…" Samus clapped a hand on Reed's back, shutting him up.

"Reed, we can't hold her hand anymore. She'll only learn if she's allowed to stumble around on her own path." Seeing that Reed wasn't about to protest, Samus continued. "My friend it's time to move on with our lives. She's getting married and we're free to do whatever we want. I can finally go back home and you can finally that little store you've always wanted." Reed sat there, letting the thought sink in.

"You're right. I mean she has grown up to be a fine, young lady after all. Our work is done." Satisfied that Reed was now cheered up, Samus was about to retrieve their traveling companion, when he hear the blonde say something under his breathe. "I still think marriage is a bit extreme though."

* * *

When Percival had been called to Chris's office, alone, he knew he was in trouble again. He knew because he'd been feeling sneaky lately. And Chris had this talent for picking up on his moods and trying to stop him before he had any fun. He stood in front of her desk now, trying to look serious like a knight should and not how he felt, like a bad child about to be scolded.

"Percival, did you do something to Maximillian?" Yes, it did appear that she was on the right track.

"You mentioned something about him having some sort of issues when we were out drinking last night.

"Oh, um, that was just the ramblings of a drunken lout. And besides, it's Borus who has issues with him."

/ _Forgive me, Borus. /_

"Are you sure? You have nothing to do with some fight between him and Watari?"

"W-Watari?" Percival's mind was working at a frantic pace and couldn't quite digest the information.

"Yes, Lily said..." Percival was just barely listening though, his mind too caught up in the possibilities.

* * *

Rico was trying to find her Master without much luck. Well, it wasn't that she didn't have any leads. People had seen him outside, apparently, as Billy had put it, 'more pissed off than a sailor denied access to a whore house,' or something along those lines. She had come back into the castle, about to admit defeat when she saw Watari enter through the doors, followed by Fred, who was followed by Koruko.

"Wait up, damn you!" Fred shouted, causing Rico to hide. She watched as Watari stopped and gave Fred a look that could kill. Several other onlookers were just staring in shock, unable to believe anyone would say that to the ninja.

"I'm sick of this stupidity. What do you think you are, the center of the world?" The ninja's voice had a harsh quality that caused Fred to once again wither, but only for a moment.

"I am not conceited!"

"Well, I don't care anymore. I'm leaving." Before anyone could stop him, Watari through a small ball to the ground which exploded in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the ninja was gone, leaving now trace behind. Fred stood there for a few minutes before he began to mumble under his breathe. Koruko whimpered and ran off, obviously disappointed that Watari wasn't there. Everyone else was staring at the knight, not that he noticed. After a few more minutes of anger though, he stomped off, obviously frustrated. Rico stumbled out from behind her hiding place, feeling pure shock.

_/ It couldn't be... /_

* * *

That afternoon, Rico and Percival met at Mamie's again only to find out that they had reached the same conclusion.

"Tell me, Sir Percival, is Watari really…" She trailed off as she took another bite of banana bread.

"Really… Odd?" Percival finished the sentence after he was done chewing his carrot cake. They were both silent for a bit longer, before Percival spoke up again. "You didn't see this coming at all?"

"No." Rico said bitterly, now focused on stabbing the piece of bread over and over again, as if it were someone quite hateful.

"Is something wrong?" Percival cocked an eyebrow, hoping he hadn't opened a hornet's nest. When a woman got a look on her face like that, and when it was obviously related to a man, he had learned that all bets were off.

"He's been keeping things from me lately. Important things. He used to tell me everything. But, he's been lying to me." She now looked heartbroken and you could see her eyes getting wet.

"Well, I'm sure he didn't mean to."

"Yeah, but he's never done anything like that before. He always tells me what's going on. I'm more than his squire… We're supposed to be friends. If he can't tell me about someone bothering him like this, well I guess all those years meant nothing." Percival knew better than to say anything at this point. Tell a woman she was judging a man too harshly and she would rage at you till she was blue in the face.

"The worst thing is, he's making a complete fool of himself." Rico now had an entirely different tone, one that the knight couldn't identity, yet it seemed very familiar.

"What-"

"He's angry because he's being ignored. Ever since I can remember, Master Fred has always, always hated being ignored or rejected in any way at all." Percival now recognized this look as the kind that a mother, older sister or grandmother might have when complaining about some reckless youth. "He hates it so much that he starts obsessing over the person and it's just dreadful."

"Really? I find that quite fascinating." That sounded so much like Borus that Percival couldn't stop a small smile from forming.

"Fascinating?" Rico looked at the Zexen as if he had gone mad. "He's going to be a pain for who knows how long. The only way to stop it will be to get Watari to apologize for whatever slight Fred thinks he committed." Percival replayed what Chris had said, but decided not to reveal anything just yet and see what Rico knew about the 'slight.'

"You mean he isn't upset about it being another man?"

Rico shook her head. "No, I highly doubt that. He'd be embarrassed for sure, but he really doesn't care about things like that as long as a person is decent. No, it must be something else…" The squire mused now, looking thoughtful.

"Well," Percival started, "Lady Chris told me something interesting today about an incident involving your master, our ninja friend and a Lily Pendragon."

* * *

"Where is that blasted Watari?" Lily had spent the last few hours searching for the offending party, hoping to give the ninja a piece of her mind. But, after a few hours she had given up, her only clue being all the people who said they'd witnessed him having a fight with Maximillian. Lily had decided she wouldn't bother with such a silly detail and would go get a stiff drink instead.

Right now she was nursing that drink in a lonely corner of the bar, muttering to herself in a way that guaranteed all other patrons would leave her alone. Most people would assume that drinking when you were enraged was a bad thing, but most people weren't of the Pendragon line. Lily, like her father had a high tolerance for alcohol and could drink gallons before it affected her judgment.

Which was good for Samus and Reed when they entered the bar and found her. Heading for the table, they were surprised when she didn't notice them right away and could only conclude she was in a terrible mood. They both waited a few minutes, not wanting to disturb her. After a while though, Samus, getting impatient, elbowed Reed roughly.

"Uh, Milady…" She looked at them crankily and narrowed her eyes in contempt.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be escorting that little weasel."

"Uh, Milady, we have. We were able to return early." Her eyes widened in shock.

"You mean he's here? Right now? Is he with you?" She was looking around frantically, adjusting her hat and smoothing her hair out. "Don't just stand there, hide me!" She looked around Reed and Samus trying to see if the man she hated so much was with them.

"You need not fear. He is resting in the room we had prepared for him." Reed was relieved to see her visibly calm down. But, after a moment, she got a dangerous look that caused both to fear for their lives.

"I need you two to make sure he doesn't come down until tomorrow morning. Or else."

_/ You will not catch me off guard this time, you little creep. /_

* * *

Landis was severely disappointed. Somehow, Mike had left the bar with out him noticing and was now safely locked away in the library, which was unusually full today. He could only conclude defeat as he was getting bored and desired to move onto some other task such as scaring Elliot or teasing Ayame. Or, scaring the little dog that was wandering around lost…

* * *

To Be Continued…

Next time, I will introduce Lily's fiancée. He's an OC, but he's important to the overall plot. Otherwise I can't guarantee anything else.


	9. Chapter 9

Rating: PG

Pairings: Lily/OC, Watari/Fred.

* * *

Chapter 9

Lily paced around the room, teeth clenched, waiting for her imminent doom to emerge. The den was nicely furnished, displaying Tinto's power and glory to it's fullest extent. Fine artwork lined the shelves, much of it lined with inlays of gold and silver. The room had a rough, yet cozy quality that was the hallmark of fashion in her homeland. Because Tinto was such a valuable ally to the Fire bringer, it had been decided that it would be appropriate to have a place where Tinto emmarisaries could more easily conduct their own business between the grasslands and Zexen.

Normally, Lily would be acting as queen of the place, confidant in her authority. Instead, she was busy trying to wear a hole into the floor. "How dare he make a lady wait?" She stopped her pacing and walked over to one of the windows, throwing it open in frustration. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling the wind beating against her face. As she leaned out the window a bit, she didn't hear the door open as another person entered and started creeping up behind her.

* * *

Now if Koruko was anything, he was loyal, as most dogs were. He was drawn to most people, whatever their race and it took something particularly base to scare him. And unfortunately he had found it in the form of the strange winger from Dunan.

The poor canine had been minding his business, trying to find Watari, when the winger had started trying to, well kill his shadow. The pup had started to run and had yet to find a safe haven. No one adored him enough to confront a scary mad man apparently.

"Hehehehe. I'm going to get you my pretty and your little… Um… Flea collar!" Landis cackled as he flew after the pup, going just slow enough to allow Koruko to think he had some chance of escape. As their game progressed and sped through the halls, they both thought they heard a woman's shrill scream.

* * *

The moment she felt the ice cold hand on the back of her neck, Lily shrieked, turned around and shoved the intruder back. And when she saw who it was, she gaped like a fish, and then started sputtering. "Roan! You, you, you little pissanat!" She now glared sourly at the young man who was now doubled over laughing.

After a few minutes, he straightened up, wiping tears from his eyes. "You haven't changed at all, Lily Pendragon. Not at all. Still the same loud mouthed brat from before." She tried really hard to resist hitting the boy before her, who at six feet was much, much taller then she remembered. And also very, very skinny.

"You look like a bean pole, Roan du Lac." The other's eyes instantly darkened, making them seem like a darker shade of blue. He stalked up closer to her and leaned over her.

"_You _still look like a foul-tempered tomboy." They glared death at one another for a few more minutes before Lily smirked at him and reached up as best as she could and started to ruffle the rather messy mass of brown hair on his head. "What are you doing?"

She squinted as if looking for something. "I see your hair is still as terrible as always. You need to learn how to brush it properly." He shoved her hand away in annoyance.

"You know why I'm here. So let's get it over with." They glared at each other, meeting each other's gaze even though they were far from level with one another.

She clenched her fists and plastered a smile on her face. "Yes, out with it then."

/ _I hate these formalities_. /

The young man closed his eyes and took a deep breath before coming out with it. "The house of du Lac offers it's services to Tinto in it's time of need." He wiped his brow, looking aggravated by the formality.

Lily stiffened, taking on the same air of formality for a moment. "Then we, as a representative of Tinto, humbly accept." They both nodded and then their shoulder's slumped, both looking relieved.

"I can only thank the runes that I am not becoming an emperor. The additional aggravation of having you for a wife would not be worth it." He was now wearing a dorky smile, which didn't disappear when Lily struck him. "So, I assume there's a party in my honor."

She scowled at him, arms crossed. "Not officially in your honor. More like a moral booster. But, yes there is to be a party conviently timed for your arrival."

"Good, then I shall anticipate getting my feet stepped on by you." He chuckled as he left the room, causing her to fume. She calmed herself down after a few minutes and then hurried down the hallways.

/ _Where's that blasted ninja when I need him/ _

* * *

"Where is he? Blast him!" Fred muttered to himself as he searched through the castle for the second time. Most people would have told him it was futile. In fact, when he had ran into Futch and had told the dragon knight who he was searching for, he had been told with a patronizing smile that a ninja could only be found if they wanted to be found.

/ _Rubbish! Nothing is impossible. Not even finding a ninja./ _

By now, some of his aggravation had dissipated and he was left thinking about what he could say without looking like a fool, and well nothing really came to mind. In fact, he found himself stopping as he began to think more deeply on the situation.

/_The way I am acting must look bad. People must be taking it out of context. Which they shouldn't. I'm not jealous, I'm just annoyed. Anyone in their right mind would be. /_

Of course, anyone in their right mind probably would have wanted to forget about the embarrassing incident entirely. But, the option had never occurred to Fred, and wasn't about to make it's self known now. It was at this moment of non-realization that he finally decided to try the dungeons, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword, and swallowed slightly.

/ _It is only a dungeon. Nothing more. Warriors brave them all the time./ _

* * *

Watari had heard the scream of Lily Pendragon and had decided to leave, least she start bellowing for him. Unfortunately, maybe it was because of the stress, but the ninja did something he had never done before and would vow never to do again. He tripped. Over something furry and barking. He slowly sat up and saw Koruku, who was nuzzling against him and occasionally growling at something.

The ninja cursed as he stood up, wanting to strangle the mutt, but decided to err on the side of caution and glanced at what the dog was looking at. And when he saw what it was, he had to fight off a wave of disgust. "…" He scowled at the smirking winger, also secretly hoping Ayame was around since the two never seemed far apart these days.

"kekeke. Little ninja boy and his doggie reunited again, eh? How sweet." Landis grinned as he lazily twirled his scythe in the air. Watari stood up and turned around, only to find that the winger had gotten in front of him. "What's your hurry? I thought we could talk." The Winger grinned as he slapped a grimy hand on the ninja's shoulder.

Watari shoved the hand off prepared to go, if for no other reason then because he had a whimpering, cowering dog hiding behind his legs. "Ayame isn't here." Watari pushed past the winger or rather tried to, only to find Landis in his way yet again. He reached back to pull out his sword and slaughter the demon, but was stopped by what Landis said next.

"So tell me, how do you know Mike?"

* * *

To Be Continued…

I'm soooo sorry I took so long! Please forgive me! bows I've been so horribly distracted! And I'm sorry it's short. I promise that I'll be updating a little more regularly from now on. At least I hope…

Also, as for Roan's surname du Lac, anyone familiar with Arthurian legend would recognize it as the surname of Lancelot. I though since Lily's surname Pendragon was Arthur's, well you get the idea.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry it's been so long! I've been really busy!

* * *

Chapter 10 

Curiosity killed the Winger, or so went the popular saying. Granted, most wingers tended not to believe this until much later in life, unless they were Landis, in which case, they never learned. And when he got into trouble because of his curiosity, he never associated the danger with his actions. Like when Watari stopped being surprised and opted to grab the winger's throat with one glove clad hand.

Anyone else would have panicked, too frightened to realize the ninja was not applying enough pressure to cause any harm. The hand was merely a threat, one that Landis scoffed at. "Oh come on. Be nice, like Ayame!" Now the hand squeezed a little, indicated that the winger had stepped a little out of his bounds. No that it deterred him any. "It's not like I'm the only one who has some guesses as to who you are. So you might as well spill. Better than spilling your guts anyways…"

In truth, Landis had now expected that he would be suffocated to death. Ninja's tended to be unreasonable like that. Instead, he was surprised to feel the hand let go and to see the ninja turn his back to him. The winger was about to smirk in victory, when Watari spoke. "If you really care about Ayame, you will give up on this game, winger." And with that, the ninja was gone, Koruko barking at Landis before he chased after Watari.

Which left Landis to puzzle out just how odd the encounter had been. Watari had not only spoken, but it had been to him, Landis of all people. Urging him to do something for the sake of Ayame. Or rather not do something, but that was beside the point. Then, to add to the weirdness factor, Watari had left his back to a potential enemy, something very stupid for a ninja to do. "Hmmm, silent boy has really lost touch it seems." The winger began to chuckle darkly. "So the plot thickens."

* * *

The basement floor of the castle wasn't a necessity as far as Fred was concerned. Being easily accessed by the elevator meant that there was a good chance that someone could accidentally get stuck down there or worse, that a monster could ride to one of the higher floors. Of course, even though Shizu insisted that no such thing could happen, Fred still had his doubts. He would have liked to have a whole group of warriors come down and slaughter all the creatures that lurked down there. 

Yet, Eike, the mysterious librarian had insisted that such a thing wasn't possible. There was also the fact that many other warriors in the castle thought the lower floors provided excellent training and seemed to be against out and out extermination. And normally, such training was fine when you were in a group. Fred was not enjoying this though. He would never admit it out loud to anyone, but the knight was getting a little tired. He had assumed that he would have been able to find Watari by now and settle this whole humiliating little series of incidents.

Instead, he'd been wandering around for hours, getting covered in monster gook. Of course, the thought hadn't crossed Fred's mind that he should give up. He did intend to set this matter right, no matter the cost. Even at the cost of getting jumped at by monsters all day long. Was it still day?

He was beginning to contemplate going back, not out of cowardice mind you, but because he was wondering how Rico was doing. She was probably worried about him being gone for so long anyways. As he turned though, he nearly jumped. A ninja was standing right in front of him. Finally… Only she was the wrong gender. "Lady Ayame?"

* * *

Meanwhile, it seemed a certain squire had also sighted a ninja, the one her master would have liked to have met up with. Rico was actually pretty disturbed seeing the ninja, considering her conversation with Percival. There were plenty of women who had fancied him in the past, regardless of what the knight may have believed, but she had never been aware of any men, let alone a man like Watari. 

Nor had she expected a man like Watari to allow a dog to be following him. She was about to call out to him, but found her voice freezing up.

/H-how am I supposed to approach him of all people/

She stood there, watching him walk off, feeling dumbstruck. Then she slapped her cheeks with both hands.

/Snap out of it, Rico! You have to do this for the sake of Master Fred/

Summoning up her courage, she called out. "Wait a moment Master Watari! Wait!" When he stopped, she nearly had to resist the urge to bolt.

/He's so scary! No! No! Don't freak out now/

Taking a breath, she walked over towards the puzzled ninja and the equally puzzled canine, mustering a smile. "I just wanted to ask you something?"

The ninja crossed his arms and looked bored, well maybe it was boredom. The mask made it really hard to tell for sure. Rico swallowed, feeling as if a rock had just passed down her throat. "Do you uh, are you in l-l…" What had to be really doing Rico in was the fact that the ninja's expression hadn't changed at all. He was scaring her quite a bit in fact. She stopped herself a moment, gathering her strength before she was finally able to continue. "Are you in love with Sir Fred?"

Not only was she able to get it out, but Rico was also able to relax a little. Well, until she saw a look on Watari's face that she couldn't quite name. The squire clasped her hands behind her back and began to back up slightly. "I guess it's really none of my business though. So, I'll just leave you alone. Bye!" She turned around as if to run and would have if the ninja hadn't spoken.

"Depends on why you want to know." She looked back at him, suddenly regretting her curiosity.

* * *

As Fred continued to stare at the rather silent ninja in front of him, it occurred to him that while she wasn't the person he had been looking for, she could still forseeably help him out. "Say, you haven't seen Watari by any chance, have you?" She shrugged. "Is that a no?" 

"I would have no clue where he is or what company he keeps. My only concern is that I be the one to kill him. Outside of that goal, he means nothing to me." It was said coldly and sincerely. Fred found himself strangely appalled, considering that he had wanted to hurt Watari a few moments ago himself.

"But, you two are friends, right? Or you were. How can you just kill him?" The knight couldn't comprehend the situation, not at all.

"Friends? We were never friends. Comrades is more like it. And as for why, it's really none of your business."

He clamed up, knowing that what she said was the truth. As terrible as it was, it was really none of his business, was it? He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize she had gotten closer to him. So close that she was practically sharing his air. The knight jumped back a few feet, ready to draw his sword. "What?"

"What's so special about you? How can someone like you make someone like him change so much?" Before he could respond, she had vanished, as if into thin air.

/That's it, I'm out of here/

* * *

Rico found herself getting rather shy at the question. "Well, because I'm worried about Master Fred. He's been acting really weird. And after some careful investigation, me and a friend came to the conclusion that it had something to do with you." Rico figured that it would be better not to mention Percival's name, in case it turned out that she had bitten off more than she could chew. 

The ninja was silent and appeared to be thinking. In fact, it appeared that the thinking was going to go on for a while. Koruko, seeming to sense this, tugged on Watari's pant's leg, growling slightly. He glared down at the dog in annoyance then looked back at Rico. "It doesn't matter how I feel. He's the one being stupid."

While she could agree with that sentiment, Rico was nonetheless becoming infuriated that Watari had not answered the question. "Well, just out of curiosity, how do you feel?" Now Watari really was glaring at her. Rico shrunk a little, but decided that she would not back down. "As his squire, I have a right to know if anyone has a more than platonic interest in him!"

The moment she was done speaking, Rico wanted to go hide in a small hole. In fact, the only reason she didn't was because the ninja had such a stupefied look on his face. She suddenly felt more confidant and decided to press her advantage. "I'm guessing that you really do love him, since you have yet to deny it. I do hope you know what you're getting into. Master Fred is very stubborn and based on how angry he is, I doubt he'll forgive you anytime soon, let alone even think about you in a fond way."

The ninja had been shaken out of his shock by now. "Just because I haven't denied doesn't mean I actually love him." The squire leaned forward and grinned.

"Well then, are you denying it?" There was a playful tone to her voice now. Watari wasn't a liar by nature. Not about anything that wasn't related to a mission or his work anyways. Yet, to tell someone else the truth, especially someone so close to his 'problem.'

He would have to resort to his only option. He turned on his heel and left. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for him to realize that not only did he have the dog following him, but now he had the squire following him as well. "Listen, can we talk about this? Please? I didn't mean to offend you. I can help you out!" Now this caused him to stop.

He glanced back at her. "Alright, I'll listen."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Fred runs into Lily, who is not in the best temper to begin with. Meanwhile, Rico 'helps' Watari out. Also, Mike makes yet another appearance.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The first thing Fred experienced when he finally managed to leave the dungeons was the usual sensation of temporary blindness. So blinded was he, that he managed to crush an unfortunate passerby. Or rather, it was he who had the misfortune of crashing into said passerby. "Uhm, excuse me sir or is it ma'am? I'm terribly sorry." He really couldn't see anything at the moment, stars flashing before my eyes.

"Argh! You clumsy oaf!" At the sound of the high pitched, angry female voice, Fred felt a shudder go through his spine. He looked downwards to see a smaller figure that looked a lot like Lily Pendragon.

"Oh… Uh… Miss Lily, I'm so very sorry. I…" His vision was clearing and the look on the young woman's face wasn't very pretty, not very pretty at all.

"You need to watch where you are going! Especially in that blasted armor of yours! You could kill someone if you are not careful." Fred swallowed, nervously clenching his fists. Lily was really the last person he wanted to see right now. He had seen her with that ninja earlier after all… What was she doing with him anyways? Hit by inspiration, he suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Miss Lily, you are just the person I needed to see! I've been dying to talk to you?"

"Huh? What are you going on about?"

"I need to know what you and Master Watari were doing in the storage room." The moment he had asked though, Lily had gotten bright red.

"First of all, unhand me, you oaf." She removed his hands from her shoulders, looking disgusted. "Second of all, that's a private matter between the two of us. It's none of your business, so you needn't worry about it." She was still blushing, which Fred really didn't like.

"I do to have a right to know what you and he were doing. Anything that concerns Watari concerns me." She stared at him, now seemingly flabbergasted.

"Why?"

The knight swallowed, realizing that he hadn't said it the right way. "It just is that's all. Nothing for you to worry about. Besides, what do you have to hide anyways?"

"Why should you care if you don't know? He was acting weird too, about you seeing us that morning, well, weird for him…" She scratched her chin, looking thoughtful, until a shocked look crossed her face. "You and he aren't… Noooooooo way…" She seemed stunned and was looking over Fred carefully.

"We aren't what?" He didn't like the look on her face now, not one bit.

She began to circle him, looking him over. "I never thought you had it in you. You always seemed so… Upright, goody-two shoes and all that. Though, I got to say, I wouldn't expect him to be your type. I'd have expected some pure innocent who was much shorter than you, not some scary quiet guy who's actually a tiny bit taller than you."

"What are you talking about?" Lily shrugged and smiled, then stepped up to him and stood up on her tip toes, looking him in the eyes. "W-what?"

Gently poking him in the nose, she then turned around and walked away. "You're alright Maximillion… Well, more like you almost seem normal now." She continued walking, leaving Fred still confused. "Oh and just so you know," she looked back at him for a moment, "Me and him aren't doing anything dirty at all. He may not act like it, but he's quiet the gentleman, so you needn't fear that he has betrayed you."

As he watched her walk away, Fred was suddenly aware that something particularly important had just been said. Dammed if he knew what it was though. Sighing to himself, he decided that he had better continue his search and ignore Lily's ramblings.

* * *

Watari glanced around the room curiously. Rico had led him to her room, which shared a wall and door with Fred's room, then run off telling him to not go anywhere. The room was orderly, with a feminine touch, but not girly. Of course, he was itching to look into Fred's room on the other side, but such childish behavior was beneath him, wasn't it? 

Deciding that perhaps it wasn't, he was about to step towards the door, when Rico came back in holding a tray with a tea kettle and some cups on it. She sat them down on the table in the middle of the room and gesture towards one of the chairs. After a moment's hesitation, he sat down, but didn't take one of the cups from the tray.

"Are you sure you don't want some tea?" Rico said as she poured her own.

Watari merely shook his head, hoping she would stop wasting his time and reveal what kind of 'help' she was going to offer him or possibly could offer. After all, it was a known fact how little power Rico had when it came to Fred. How else could the man manage to run his squire so ragged?

"Alright then." The girl said after she had had taken a few sips from her cup. "Let's get down to business then, shall we?" She rested her arms on the table and looked him intently in the eyes. "Listen, I'm not saying I'll help him fall in love with you. That's out of my power, understand?" He nodded and she continued. "But, I figured at the very least, you like there to be no hard feelings between the two of you?"

Watari was silent for a while, trying to decide if it was really so bad that Fred hated him. Hatred aside, the knight was practically stalking him from what Watari had been able to figure out. That was more attention then he had ever gotten from the man or probably ever would. Did he really want to be just friends with the knight?

/ _Then again, friends can eventually become much more_./

The ninja slowly nodded, keeping himself calm and composed. As Rico then continued on, he began to formulate his own plan, while taking note of every little detail she mentioned.

* * *

The next place Fred looked was the record room, which quickly turned up no Watari either. "Has anyone seen Watari?" Fred asked out loud, since it was a small room. Jefferson looked up from his desk and barked a loud, overly long no. Everyone else seemed to say the same, except for Mike, who seemed caught up in his cards. Fred didn't bother to ask him anyways. The man had never seemed that bright in his opinion, always smiling no matter what. 

As he left the room, trying to remember where he hadn't looked, he felt a hand clasp on his shoulder. "Why are you so interested in looking for the ninja, eh?" He turned around to see Mike behind him, the smile even larger than it normally was.

"It is… a personal matter between us, something that needs to be straightened out."

The gambler's smile only seemed to grow, which caused Fred to feel uncomfortable for some reason he couldn't name. "A personal matter? Must be quite personal, since you are chasing after him with such fury." At the knight's surprised look, Mike chuckled. "Oh, everyone's been talking about it, the way you're chasing after him like some rabid dog or love struck little pup."

As the knight blushed, Mike only seemed to laugh louder. "I'll have you know, it's his doing, not mine." Fred looked away, now afraid that the gambler might know more about the situation than he let on.

"Why, what did he do? Threaten you with one of his knives?"

"No, it wasn't anything of the sort."

"Well then, what could he have possibly done to have offended you so? It couldn't have been an insult, as you being the captain of your order are far too mature to react to such a thing." Fred mentally cringed. "Or did he take something from you? Or perhaps impart some sort of information he shouldn't have?" Mike's disposition seemed to change suddenly. It seemed, colder, uglier. Then again, maybe Fred's discomfort with the subject matter was getting to him.

"It's none of that and it's none of your business either. I must leave now. Good day." The knight turned and left, hurrying as fast as he could. He could almost feel the cold gaze behind him penetrating his back.

/ _Why is everyone in the castle so crazy?_ /

* * *

In the time he had spent listening to Rico, Watari had learned a lot of things about Fred. Apparently, the knight was stupider than anyone had thought, if Rico's tales were to be believed. The man loved blueberry pie, thunderstorms and stories of epic battles. And apparently, he hated dark, dank places with a passion. 

By the time the ninja had left Rico, his brain was filled to the brim with such useless tidbits. Granted, the girl had tried to engage him in conversation, but the ninja had refused to be pulled in. Regardless of his current state of mind, he was still enough of a professional to not give away anything of himself, not to a mere squire anyway. Though, for a mere squire, Rico sure had a lot confidence to be talking about a superior like that.

At least now, he was ready to talk to Maximillion. If anything, he could keep the knight from making a bigger fool of himself than he already had. Not that there was much hope for that. Still, when it came right down to it, Watari hated the idea of the knight's pride being hurt. At the very least, he could maybe get Fred to show some restraint.

Yes he'd talk to Fred, as soon as he got done taking a nice, long bath. He wanted to at least be clean before he confronted the knight. He had the feeling that Fred thought of him as being an unclean ruffian.

Though considering the line to the bath house, it was obvious he had bad timing. A bunch of smelly soldiers in front of him, Zexen ones it seemed, no doubt fresh off their shifts, wanting a chance to get clean while they still had a chance. The ninja turned around and began to walk off only to himself facing an unusually tall, scrawny human.

"Damn… A line…" The boy muttered, scratching the back of his head. "You'd think they'd have more than one bath for situations like these." Watari didn't respond, merely moved to get around the man, only to have a hand on his shoulder. "Hey… Do I know you from somewhere?" The man said this as if he had just noticed the ninja.

Mustering his best blank stare, Watari tried to see if there was another route around the man. But, instead he felt two hands gripping his shoulders. "Wait… In highland… Watari?" The ninja blinked now. The voice did suddenly seem strangely familiar, but where had he heard it before? "It is you… Back from the war… Don't you remember me?"

/ _From the war… /_

Suddenly there was a flash of recognition and Watari broke loose from the boy's grip and was gone in a flash. He thought maybe his name was called, but he didn't stop to check. His life had suddenly gone from bad to worse.

/ _How did they find me? Shit!_ /

* * *

To Be Continued… 


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Pairings: Watari/Fred, LilyxOC.

Watari had kept running, unable to control himself. When he'd seen that Mike had arrived at the castle, he had been able to control himself. The worse Mike could do was kill him. But… Roan du Lac? This was a far worse situation. It was obvious that Roan didn't know what had happened, what Watari had done; otherwise he'd have never greeted him in such a friendly manner. But, he'd find out, just like the others had and it'd be all over. He'd have shamed himself in front of another person, another old comrade…

Of course, Watari got shaken out of his reverie when he realized that he wasn't running any more. Something seemed to have caught onto his shoulder and was holding the fabric quite firmly within its grasp. When the ninja saw what it was he was caught on, he tried to untangled with all his might. But, it seemed that Fred's hand was insisting on maintaining its rather firm grip. "At last, I found you!" Watari stopped running and gripped Fred's hand tightly, trying to get free of the man's grip. "And this time you're not getting away."

"…" Watari's gaze was venomous. He didn't want to deal with this buffoon right now, no matter what his feelings were towards him. He had more important matters to attend to.

"I'm sorry if you were in a hurry, but this really can't wait." Before Watari could protest, he found himself being dragged by Fred into one of the nearby rooms, an empty room. The moment the door was slammed, Fred crossed his arms and glared at him. Watari glared back, getting more and more annoyed by the moment.

The knight then sighed, looking, perhaps, nervous? "Listen, about you liking me or whatever… Understand that I have nothing against men who love other men." Watari blinked for a moment, but said nothing as Fred continued. "But, I do resent two timers who flirt with one person when they have already made amorous overtures towards another." Now Watari was even more confused, which Fred seemed to notice. "I saw you with Lily Pendragon. Intimately."

Watari had actually forgotten that he had dragged Lily off in an attempt to make Fred jealous and now that he remembered, he nearly laughed. Fortunately, he still had some restraint and managed to hold back. "I wasn't being intimate with her."

"I am not stupid! I saw you two… You were very, very close. You are not the sort of person to stand close to someone and Lily Pendragon would kill any man who dared to act so familiar with her under normal circumstances." Now Watari was impressed. Fred could on occasion be bright and observant.

"That was not what you thought it was." The ninja didn't know why, but he didn't like the idea of making Fred jealous anymore. Not if it meant him hating him. The thought wasn't as pleasant now.

"Don't lie to me. You were just fooling around with me, because you think that I am an idiot."

Well, Watari did think he was an idiot, so that part wasn't exactly a lie. "I wasn't lying when I said I had feelings for you."

"I saw you with Lily."

"I was doing a favor for her. I am a ninja. I get asked to do all sorts of odd jobs for people all the time. Jobs I can't tell people about."

Fred looked at him long and hard as if trying to determine whether or not he was lying. "Don't you ask a heavy price for you jobs normally? I wouldn't think that someone like Lily, even with all her money, would pay you for something so small as an odd job." Definitely not as stupid a man as he first appeared, Watari thought.

How to explain without spilling Lily's secret and without admitting that he had purposely made the situation look like it was something more than it was? "You will have to take my word for it. Is there anything else you want?"

"Yes, actually there is." The knight was now embarrassed and looking down at his feet nervously. "I wanted to apologize for what happened that night. It was rude of me."

/ _He's apologizing, to me/_

Watari was taken aback by this turn of events. He hadn't expected an apology and now his mind was a complete blank. "I accept." He decided it was best not to make a big deal of it.

The knight seemed relieved now and relaxed his posture. "Thank the runes…" He was now smiling, which in Watari's mind suited his face far better. "Well now that that's settled, I'll be off." The knight strode past him, about to leave when Watari found himself grabbing onto his arm, despite his better judgment. "Uh, what?"

"…" Watari just held on tighter. He knew it was hopeless, that no matter what, nothing was going to come of his feelings, but he couldn't let go of them either. Plus, the last thing he wanted to do was go out there and risk running into more unwanted memories.

"Is something wrong? Did I offend you somehow? Was my apology not enough?" The knight was confused, though he should have realized by now that Watari was unpredictable. The ninja said nothing and only gripped his arm tighter. "Uh… Let go… Please?"

"So, is there any possibility of you liking me?"

* * *

Lily's mood had changed into something kind of light and bubbly. Maximillian had amused her greatly. The man was very simple and not a very good liar. Lily had seen right through him in a heartbeat. She supposed she should have expected him to have a desire for men. Everyone knew that men who went out of their way to act tough were often putting on a front to hide qualities they felt were unmanly. Plus, he was a soldier of sorts, and everyone KNEW what men left alone with other men did.

Of course, she supposed Watari was a bit of a surprise, though it made sense. The man hadn't been able to appreciate her feminine form at all during the dancing lessons. Any normal man should have been stuttering and blushing more instead of acting so cold and aloof. Still it was probably better than making a joke of her like Roan did.

Why her father had insisted that he'd be a good match for her, she'd never know. Just because his father was some big shot in Highland didn't mean he was good husband material, let alone leadership material. He was still an overly tall, gangly fool with poor taste in amusements.

/ _Just be calm Lily. All you really have to worry about is that stupid ball in Zexen. After that, you should be able to avoid him for most of the war. Let Samus and Reed handle everything else. You won't see him again until the wedding date._ /

Of course, part of the reason she had always resented the engagement was because Roan didn't respect her. He particularly didn't respect her as a woman. He had always seen her as more of a boy than a girl, even when she had been dressed in perfectly feminine clothes. Even now that she wore more masculine dress, she still thought that it was impossible for anyone to mistake her for a boy.

It had always been her mannerisms that got her in trouble. Lily had always been a direct and aggressive individual, too clumsy for the female arts. And it was a known fact that she was no good in the ballroom, having the terrible habit of stepping on the toes of others and trying to dominate the dance. Chris would have been able to tell anyone that. Of course, Chris was one of the few people who could have forgiven Lily for such a slight.

Roan though, would laugh at her. And just once, she'd have liked to have proven him wrong about something. Even if it was just a stupid dance. "Hey, Lily!" And speak of the scrawny, overly tall devil…

"And here I was hoping that I wouldn't have to see you for the rest of the day… Or rather the rest of the year even."

"As lovely as ever, aren't you? Say, you don't happen to know a ninja called Watari, do you?"

"Yes, why?"

"What can you tell me about him?"

She shrugged. "He's an odd sort, always skulking about, never saying anything unless it suits him. And when he does speak, it's always terribly dull and not very exciting at all. Once again, why do you want to know?"

"Oh… No reason. Bye." He waved as he walked off.

"Why is everyone so odd around here?"

* * *

To Be Continued…

I just realized that this story has some truly corny moments in it…

Folks, never, ever let a fanfic get away from you, no matter how tempting.


	13. Chapter 13

Notes: I realized that Kouruko kinda disappeared down a plot hole… So he's reappearing. Since he disappeared when Rico had that talk with Watari, we are just going to assume that are darling canine was accidentally locked out of the room And I will get around to fixing the previous chapters.

* * *

Chapter 13

"_Is there any possibility of you liking me?"_

How did Fred got himself into these situations, he didn't know. Give him a dragon breathing fire hotter than the furnaces of hell. Give him an invading army or a gargantuan spider and he'd happily deal with it. Anything was better than dealing with feelings, particularly those belonging to other people.

"It isn't about liking you. I don't have time for such foolish matters."

"But, if you did have time for foolish matters?"

The knight turned away quickly, not willing to look him in the eye. This just kept getting more and more uncomfortable. "I see no point in this line of questioning. It is pointless."

"Humor me and answer it." Fred was about to retort that Watari and the word humor didn't make any sense when put together but decided to keep his mouth shut, as he could also sense a disturbing amount of bloodlust coming from the ninja.

"I suppose under other circumstances, I might consider it…" Would he really consider it? Fred wasn't sure. He'd never been interested in a relationship, so he hadn't given it much thought. The most thought he had given it, had been around the realization that the most appropriate partner for him would be a young noble woman of high standing, someone who was the flower of virtue. It hadn't really appealed to him for some reason, even though he felt a great amount of admiration towards that sort of woman.

"So then, why don't you have time?" He doubted the ninja had talked this in his entire life, which Fred supposed was a good thing, or would have been it had been about anything else.

"Because I have a duty."

"I wouldn't get in the way. I'm trained not to."

"That's not the point!" Fred began to put all his effort into moving towards the door, dragging Watari along with him. Which wasn't easy as the ninja seemed to have his feet planted firmly and was pulling in the opposite direction.

* * *

After dragging the ninja through half the castle, Fred came to the realization that he was in a real pickle here. Everyone had seen Watari clinging to him and so there would be even more gossip than before. He had considered hacking off the ninja's arm, except that would have meant a knife in his back and a bloody mess for the castle staff to clean up.

"I'll let go if you just answer my question." One would have thought this was all a joke if not for the fact that it was Watari doing this.

Even if it wasn't a joke though, Fred refused to humor him. "No." Some women snickered to themselves as they passed by the two. Fred reddened even more, the possible loss of his reputation beginning to worry him. "You are making a scene."

"It's you making the scene." Watari offered matter of factly, not loosening his grip.

Fred huffed and jerked his arm forward, dragging Watari with it. The ninja was a heavy load to carry, even for him. "Fine then." He glared at Watari as if he was the most repulsive thing he had ever seen. "As an ally yes, I do accept you and like you. As a friend, I could like you once I got to know you, enough that I could ignore your distasteful profession. As a lover though," he sighed to himself, "it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility."

Watari let go of his arm then and nodded. "Good." With that he started to walk away as if he had not been clinging to him for hours.

"That's all you wanted? You just humiliated me even more, just for that?" The knight now found himself even redder, though this time it was from anger rather than from embarrassment.

The ninja shrugged, not turning to look at him. "Needed to know if I'm wasting my time."

"Huh?" Fred scratched his head wondering what the ninja had meant by that, though he had the sinking feeling that it couldn't be good.

* * *

Regardless of how he may have acted, it was hard for Percival to relate to those of the higher classes. He had always been afraid that he'd be looked down upon for his lower birth and thus he tended to be a little cool towards new comers. So he had been a little wary when this Roan du Lac had randomly joined him at the diner table.

But, the youth had proven to be quite enjoyable, if a bit arrogant. He was a lot like Borus actually, accept a little clumsier and unsure of what to do with his lanky frame. "So, how is it that you are to be married to our Lily Pendragon?" Percival said this with a kind smile, for he could only imagine how troublesome such an engagement would be for well, anyone.

"Ugh.." The boy racked a hand through his hair, which seemed unwilling to stay put. "After Highland was liberated, Tinto made contacts among the merchants there and well, my father was the head of the guild there. He and Gustav decided that an alliance between the guilds would be a good idea and since they had two children the same age."

"Ah. It's a rough life, even for the children of merchants." He grinned wryly at the boy.

"I suppose you could say that." He smirked for a moment. "Guilds have a lot more power than you'd think though."

"You don't need to tell me. Zexen thrives on the almighty dollar."

"So, is it true that your captain is a woman?" The change in subject caught Percival off guard, though he supposed it was to be excepted.

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Is she pretty?"

"Though I should not comment on such matters, she is indeed fair." Actually he'd have said more than fair, far more than that.

"Hmmm… Well if Lily likes her, I doubt that."

"Have you thought of running out on your wedding? Because in your case I'm thinking that might be for the best."

"Been planning it for years, but my father would disinherit me. And Lily would kill me for humiliating her in front of the entire wedding party." Percival chuckled at the grimace on his face. "But let us not talk of unpleasant things. I have a question for you. How well acquainted are you with that ninja Watari?"

"Why do you ask? Did you try talking to him and find that it was like talking to a brick wall?

"So he's still like that." At Percival's look, Roan got flustered. "I mean, I assumed that he was the silent type. You can always tell just by looking at a person if they are really responsive or not."

"I see." Percival was suspicious but decided not to call him on it. "I'm afraid that no one knows much about him. He was hired for a large sum of money till the duration of the war and has been here ever since. Oh and apparently Miss Ayame wants to kill him."

"Ayame's here?" The boy stood up for a moment, then settled down. "I mean…" He pushed his chair in and looked around. "I'm afraid I have to leave. Thank you for your companionship." And he was off before Percival could stop him.

"Well that was peculiar."

* * *

Kouruko hadn't been happy about being locked out of the room, but had quickly decided to go exploring some more. He was hungry after all, so it was time to see if Cecile had anything for him to eat. Trotting outside, the dog was unhappy to see that his bowl was empty.

He sat down in front of his dish, curling up into a little ball. Now that the dog thought about it, he supposed he had down a bad thing by hanging around Watari so much. The ninja was in 'like' with that that loud human. And humans seemed to dislike it when they didn't get to be alone with people they were in 'like' with.

As Karouko contemplated this 'like' thing, he felt a dark shadow looming over him. As he looked up, he yelped and backed up quickly, sensing incredible hostility coming from the person before him.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Who is it that's menacing our beloved canine? What of Watari and Fred? Or Roan for that manner?


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Koruko backed up even further, whimpering at the angry smile glowering down at him. There were only a few people who seemed to actively dislike the dog. Nash, because he just wasn't a dog person and Mike, because the gambler knew that the dog could sense the man's true nature.

"They say dog is man's best friend, yet I have yet to see anything agreeable about such mongrels myself." The man sneered at him, adjusting his glasses slightly. Koruko backed away, seriously thinking of growling, or he would have if anyone was near by. He knew he was going to be kicked, he could tell, because of the way Mike was walking towards him and the way those black boots shined, a violent kick just had to be coming.

Instead though, Mike tripped and fell face down, flat. "Ulp! I'm sorry! Let me help you up!" Said the man who had bumped into him, a young, tall scrawny human. He pulled up Mike who was now all smiles or pretending to be.

"Oh no, I'm sure you did mean to…" The gambler trailed off as he began to look at the young man more closely. "Do I know you?"

"Well, I, Roan du Lac, am pretty famous." The boy grinned ear from ear. "But no, you probably haven't. I certainly don't know you."

"Hmmm, I guess you just have that sort of face." Koruko made sure to run so that he was near Roan, who bent down absentmindedly to scratch the dog's ears.

"I've been told that a lot. Well, once again I'm very sorry. See ya." Roan waved at him before walking off and Koruko made sure he followed the boy, looking back at Mike now and again, until they were out of sight. The gambler wasn't following fortunately, but he had a strange look on his face.

* * *

Landis had decided that his search was fruitless and had gone to pester Ayame again. What could be better use of his time after all? Though, when he found her, deeper in the dungeons than she usally ventured, she seemed a little, odd. Something about her air was unusually tense. 

"What's wrong my pet?" She glared at him, or what was probably supposed to be a glare than turned away from him. The fact that she wasn't throwing a knife at him, was a little disturbing to say the least. It made him feel concerned. "Under the weather today, dearest?"

"I am not your 'pet' or your 'dearest." She muttered now bending down and shifting through the loose pebbles on the ground as if to look for something. Landis was about to move closer so that he could see, except she turned around and held a sai out towards him, causing him to stop.

"Trying to find something. If you're looking for gold, there's none here." Well, she probably wasn't looking for gold, but you never knew. Landis would have been looking for gold or dead bugs if he was her. And since he doubted Ayame would be looking for bugs, it had to be gold.

She gave him a hard look and returned back to digging though the ground. Landis chose to stay still least his windpipe end up with a new hole. After awhile, Ayame fished a small box out of the ground. She opened it and pulled out a vial. It was made of dark, smokey blue glass. What looked like sand swished around inside of it.

"Whatcha got there?"

"Gold." Landis was taken aback and started to scratch the back of his neck. He hadn't expected to be right. "It's not that kind of gold."

"Well, what other kind of gold is there?"

She ignored him and walked past him. Landis rolled his eyes and went after her.

* * *

Watari was feeling better than he had been, for the moment. He wasn't going to go insane anytime soon at least. He felt like he could actually focus on his duties instead of obsessing over his foolish emotions. At least he would once Roan was gone from the castle. 

What was the former resistance member doing back here? And why had he been so friendly? He must have heard the news about what Watari had done. Everyone related to the organization had to know, right?

"Watari!" The ninja glanced behind him in the direction his name was called, to see Percival standing behind him, smiling. With the exception of Chris, none of the Zexen Knights talked to him and in her case, it was usually for the sake of missions. "Can I have a word with you? It's about the new comer to the castle here."

Watari's first impulse was to just walk away, but instead he nodded. "Alright, go ahead."

"He seemed to know who you were, but didn't want me to know that for some reason." Watari nodded as Percival continued to speak. "He's from a wealthy merchant family and is engaged to our Lily Pendragon. How would you know such a person?"

At that moment though, Watari felt an involuntary urge to snicker. Lily and Roan? Roan and Lily? Well, that explained the dancing lessons. It was hard to keep his face straight at that moment and he was thankful for the fact that all ninjas of the black wind group were required to wear masks.

"Watari, are you okay?"

The ninja took a silent breath and composed himself. "Yes. Go on."

"Well, I was just a bit concerned that you might be in some trouble."

"Why would you be concerned?"

"Because we're members of the same group, of course I'd be concerned."

"If you say so." Even though it was a bad thing for a ninja to be receiving so much attention, Watari supposed he should feel touched. "It's not a big deal. Roan's harmless for the most part."

"If you say so. Still, if you need help, all you have to do is report it."

"It's my problem. If anyone is going to handle it, it'll be me."

"Fine then. I didn't mean to interfere in a personal matter." Watari shrugged and decided to be on his way. "Oh and Watari?" The ninja glanced back at him. "Good luck with Maximillion." The ninja stared at him, stupefied, wondering how he knew. Then again, since Fred had practically stalked him for much of the day, it would have been a wonder if there was anyone left who didn't know. He decided to just hurry off and try to ignore the fact that he had just been egged on in a romantic matter as if he was on of Percival's fellow Zexen knights.

* * *

Fred had gone outside to clear his head. In all his years, he had never been in such a complicated situation. He had never conceived of anything like this being a problem. It was as his grandfather had said to him once: _"Fred, you don't think enough. Or what I mean is, you don't contemplate anything. You never ask questions about your direction in life or what it all means. Which isn't a bad thing in some ways, keeps your head clear. But, it's not always a good thing, because when those questions do come up, they're going to take you quite off guard."_

He hadn't really understood what his grandfather had had meant back then, but had kept it in mind as a valuable piece of wisdom. And he was glad, because it was now making sense, not that he was in such a situation. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to wonder about things other than the knighthood, at least a little. After all, a man must be more than his occupation, otherwise he is incomplete."

He smiled to himself proudly for a second, then his shoulders slumped defeatedly as he realized that it didn't help him sort out his thoughts. "I know how he feels, but how do I really feel? I mean, if it was nothing, I wouldn't be troubled over this. I could confidently say no and that would be that." He raked his hands through his hair, nervously. "Well, obviously, I'm just overwrought over this, because it's the first time a man has said such a thing to me." Yet, he didn't feel confidant as he said that.

* * *

Lily had decided at that moment to look for her errant fiancée. Not that she wanted to, but she didn't want him to do something stupid while left to his own devices. It would make her and Tinto look foolish if he got into any trouble. She may have been an unwilling participant in this engagement, but if it was going to happen, it was going to be according to her rules. 

Perhaps it was because of how dedicated she was to her current goal, but Lily hadn't really been paying attention to who else was walking through the castle corridors. So when something caught her leg and caused her to trip, she was quiet surprised and it took her a while to realize that someone was chuckling. She looked up and glared, then looked disgusted as she realized it was Landis. The handle of his scythe was sticking out in an angle that indicated that he had been the one to trip her.

"You disgusting beast! How dare you!" She yelled as she got up, dusting off her trousers.

"Perhaps the little redhead should watch where she is going? Eh?" Lily glared than say that Ayame was further down the hallway walking onwards. It didn't take a psychic to know that the female ninja was Landis's true target.

"Shouldn't you catch up to Ayame? I doubt she'd like you flirting with other girls."

"Don't flatter yourself, girlie. I am not flirting with you."

"Funny, because I heard somewhere that when a child or immature person bullies someone, it is a way of getting that person's attention." Her father had pulled that line on her enough when it came to Roan, that Lily could recite it by heart, even if she didn't believe it.

"Whatever. Go after your ninja woman instead of bothering me." By now Ayame had disappeared through one of the door ways and so when Landis turned his head she was gone. "Ayame! Where has she gone." And with that the winger was off, desperate looking. "Weirdo." She muttered to herself before she set out on her merry way.

* * *

To Be Continued… 


	15. Chapter 15

Notes: I'm so sorry for being so late on this chapter. The muse just sort of left me for this particular story. I'll be trying to update more regularly from now on.

Disclaimer: I do not own the story or the characters

Chapter 15

As he followed her down the halls, Landis could have sworn that Ayame was getting more and more distressed. There was something about the set of her shoulders and her pace that screamed that she was frantic. They had been through most of the castle at least twice over and he was getting tired. It was difficult to keep up with ninja; they moved quickly and silently. So much as look the other way and they'd disappear from sight. After running down a few more halls, Ayame suddenly made a beeline for the outdoors.

"What are you looking for sweetest?" Instead of answering Landis's question, Ayame sped up, though that could have been an answer in her own way. Before he could ask another question, Ayame stopped, just as abruptly as she had sped up. Landis careened to a halt, using his wings to slow down. "W-warn me before you stop like that."

"Watari." She said flatly and he could indeed see that Watari was only a few feet in front of Ayame. Landis clenched his teeth into one of the ugliest forced smiles ever known to man. "You know that Roan is here?" He nodded and Landis had to resist the urge to stick his tongue out at him. "You aren't going to talk to him about what happened?"

"He doesn't know, so I see no point." Watari started walking past them.

"Running away again?" He ignored her, continuing onwards until he had disappeared from their sight. Landis flapped his wings in irritation.

"Why do you even bother with him?" As was usual though, he got no answer as Ayame continued on her way. He once again found himself struggling to keep up. Despite the fact that she was walking, Ayame had this way of getting away from him quickly. Which of course only fueled Landis's desire to chase her further.

* * *

Fred's head was beginning to pound a little. Thinking on this matter was getting difficult for him. The knight tended to lose out when it came to anything that wasn't a snap judgment. He became hesitant when the answer wasn't clear, though he'd try to hide it.

"Blast it. I'm going to train." He started to storm off, hoping to find Juan so that he could let off some steam. The dojo owner was always good for a fight once you got him up and running. It didn't take him long to reach the dojo, but he was surprised to see someone already there, staring at Juan's sleeping form. A tall, lanky man, with brown hair.

"Listen, wake up already!" He was yelling, looking really annoyed. Even though Fred had been planning on doing the same thing, it seemed a little rude if someone else was doing it.

"Stop it now." He clasped a hand on the man's shoulder. The stranger turned around and Fred had a better look at him. He was dressed like an aristocrat, but was tall and gawky, like a commoner.

The stranger looked at him funny. "Hey are you a knight?" Fred blinked at him, taken aback, since the stranger hadn't properly introduced himself. "I don't recognize the coat of arms though."

Fred pulled the hand off his shoulder, glaring a little. "I'm the Captain of the Maximillion Knights, Fred Maximillion. I'm sure you would have heard of us." His voice contained all the pride he'd built up over the years, despite his anger.

The stranger looked confused and looked up to the sky as if he would find the answer there. "I haven't. Are you guys famous or something?"

This was one of the many trials Fred had gone through over the years, first as a squire and now as captain. It didn't get any easier, though he tried to be as enthusiastic as possible and not let it get him down. "We are renowned throughout the lands."

"Hmmmm, still don't recall who you guys are." The guy flashed him an embarrassed grin and Fred managed not to groan, despite his urge to do just that. It wasn't his fault he supposed, though really, Fred wondered why he even bothered.

The knight forced a stiff smile onto his face. "It matters not I suppose. Who may you be?"

Without asking, the man took Fred's hand and gave it a firm handshake. "Roan du Lac of Highland." Now that the knight thought about it, the man did seem to have a Highland accent.

"What are you doing here?" The guy didn't look like a fighter or a mage, then again, there were plenty who served as merchants and the like. But, he didn't look quite like a merchant, at least, not one with any experience.

"I'm engaged unfortunately to a young lady. You would know her, wait of course you would, since her very presence is impossible to ignore." Fred nodded, wanting him to get on with it. "Lily Pendragon." At the mention of that name, Fred found himself feeling sympathetic towards the other man.

Though, he was also thankful it wasn't him either. Being a knight errant had it's advantages, including a good excuse not to get married. "It is a hard matter, marrying for the sake of family and country."

"You're a psychic." Actually, Fred just assumed that there could be no other reason why the lad would want to marry Lily. In fact, he was surprised the man hadn't given up his fortune and decided to run to a far of land.

"No. Not really." He looked down at Juan who had stirred slightly. "In either case, I'd appreciate it if you would not bother the citizens of the castle." He nodded and then started on his way.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him though. "Wait, let me come with you." Fred grimaced, letting the smile he'd forced on his face drop.

"Unfortunately, I'm very busy." Fred removed the hand from his shoulder trying not to look annoyed, though the frown on his face said otherwise.

Roan seemed to be oblivious to Fred's annoyance. Either that or he was drinking it up like a flower drunk up sunlight. "Oh come on. I wont be too much bother."

Fred wasn't too convinced, because the guy looked like nothing but trouble. Anyone of high borne status, other than then those of the knightly families and the lords of the land, were in his opinion more trouble than they were worth. "I am not doing anything of interest."

"Let me be the judge of that." Roan smirked at him, as if he knew something that Fred didn't at that moment.

* * *

"Ah ha! There you are, you ruffian!" Lily shouted as she pointed at Watari, who groaned to himself. "I need you to help me practice some more."

"So that you can dance with your fiancée?" Now that he knew who it was for, Watari was damned if he was going to actually help. He was not getting involved in love problems that weren't his own, especially those that involved someone important to him.

Lily leapt back a few feet, holding a hand in front of her face, shock filling her eyes. She then pointed a finger at him, angry. "How did you know that?"

"I know him." What was the point in lying? Roan might just decide to blab, if for no other reason then the boy had always been a little touched in the head.

It appeared to have been the last answer Lily was expecting and she balanced. "Y-you know him! How?"

"That's none of your business." Watari shrugged, leaning against the wall and staring up at the ceiling. He didn't care what either Pendragon or du Lac got themselves involved with. Especially not Roan.

After Lily realized she wasn't going to get any information, she turned around in a huff, crossing her arms. "Fine. I don't need to know anyways."

Even though he had said it wasn't his business, Watari felt a little bit of concern wash over him. "He's someone to be wary of."

"Roan?" Lily started to laugh, a cross between a giggle and a snort. "He's an idiot! A clumsy oaf!"

Watari shrugged, not really caring if Lily believed him or not. He wasn't the one who was getting married to him, so it didn't really matter to him. He started on his way, only to hear Lily's footsteps behind him. "Wait up! Just what are you claiming he did? Not that I care or anything. I just want a head's up in case I hear about any strange rumors."

"I can not divulge anymore than I have." Despite his training, Watari felt a bit smug suddenly. It was a childish impulse, but one he savored.

"Why you!" The angry in Lily's voice matched the intensity of her pace as she hurried to keep up with him.

* * *

Ayame and Landis had finally headed out the castle doors and almost instantly bumped into Fred and Roan. "Forgive me, Lady Ayame." Fred bowed and was about to swing right past the female ninja when he sensed a killing intent-directed towards Roan. He followed Ayame's eyes towards Roan's and saw that they were locked on to each other.

"Ayame, it's been a while."

"Where have you been?" There as a dark tone in Ayame's voice, hiding barely concealed rage. It was more emotion than she almost ever showed, so it caught both Fred and Landis by surprise.

Fred leaned over towards Landis. "I think you have a bit of competition for your lady." The knight whispered into the winger's ear.

"They are not having a lover's spat." Landis was sullen and angry, his arms crossed, his head turned away from the scene, even has he was watching it out of the corner of his eyes. He didn't even know this guy and he already hated him even more than he did Watari.

Roan seemed to be unphased by Ayame's rage and merely grinned. "It's good to see that you're going alright, Ayame. I had no idea what happened to you after everything fell apart."

The female ninja was resting her hand on a pocket, giving Roan the same steely eyed glare. "Don't act so familiar." Ayame pulled out a throwing knife and aimed it at Roan's forehead. "What are you hear for?"

Fred was about to stop Ayame only to have Landis put a hand on his shoulder. "Let her skewer the fool." Before Fred could tell off the winger, Roan stepped forward, a different air about him.

"Why, I'm just here to help out my fiancée, Ayame. You know how it goes. Us men of status and wealth are never free to do as we please." There was something sinister in his tone that hadn't been there before.

"Are you trying to say that you didn't come here for it?" Ayame had lowered the knife only slightly.

There was a look of confusion on Roan's face. "What?" Ayame raised the knife was if to throw it. "Oh that. No, I would dream of going after that thing. I mean, people nearly died over that. Like Watari. Or wait, he's alive, but still..."

"He will be dead when I'm done with him." Ayame muttered as she put the dagger away. "You are no longer part of the group then?"

Roan waved dismissively, then yawned a little. "Naw. Those bastards pulled up shop and left along time ago, along with the masked man."

Landis leaned over to Fred, so that he could speak to him and keep his voice lowered. "What do you think they're going on about?"

The knight grimaced at the feeling of the winger's breath on his ear. "I don't know, you're her boyfriend, are you not?" Even Fred wasn't an idiot when it came to something as obvious as the winger's obsession with Ayame.

"I only wish." The winger muttered, a bitter look on his face. Aside from his obvious crush on Ayame, it was well known that she disliked him, though Fred was surprised he hadn't made any headway, since it had seemed to the knight that a woman like Ayame would have killed a man like Landis by now if she didn't have some sort of affection for him.

"So, you're not after it?" Ayame's asked sharply and Roan only shook his head. As if a great weight had been lifted from them, Ayame's shoulders sagged, but just for a moment. "Then I have no need to talk to you." As if that satisfied her, she walked away, leaving Roan scratching his head.

"Some things never change. Her and Watari both." And suddenly, before either of them could blink, Landis had Roan by the collar of his shirt, a look of murder in the winger's eyes.

Before Fred get the winger off, he started to speak. "Just what are you to my little pet? Answer me Highlander before I feed you to the angel of death."

Roan laughed at them though, slowly unprying the clawed fingers from about his shirt. "Even now Ayame still has creepy guys going after her. Then again, you don't have a knife sticking out of your back, so maybe you're really a sweet, harmless boy next door type?"

Horrified, the winger leapt back. "I'm nothing of the sort!" Landis looked positively green and shaken. "Besides, I was asking about you and your talk of masked men!"

"I would like to know as well." Fred answered in a voice that made it clear that he wasn't asking, he was demanding. Such secrets could prove dangerous, if not to the lives of the inhabitants of the castle, than to the morale of the people involved. Also, if it involved Watari in anyway, he wanted to know, not that it was any of his business what the ninja had been up to in the past.

Brushing off his shirt, Roan sighed and his smile slipped away. "I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference who hears it now, though it isn't something that needs be spread around, if you know what I mean." He was smiling again now, the brightest smile Fred had ever seen on a person. "The story isn't' nearly as good as those of wars past or even the war going on right now, but it's still a story of war."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Roan had started to pace around a bit, hands behind his back as he started his tale. "It was during the Higheast rebellion, or as we called it, the Highland liberation movement about three years ago. Despite the reports to the contrary with in the Dunan, there had been a great deal of unrest. The officials that had been installed were no better than greedy merchants who favored Dunan's interests over that of Highland. Yet, what were the people to do or say at the time? Dunan had imposed numerous economic sanctions after the Unification war and economic progress was needed.

Of course, those whose land was confiscated for the purposes of the state soon began to sing a different tune. No one did anything understand, except grumble. That was until she came back."

"She?" Fred looked at him quizzically.

"Supposedly Jillia Blight, former princess of Highland."

"But, she'd disappeared shortly before La' Renouille fell." Fred remembered all of his Grandfather's stories by heart. He'd always especially paid attention to any mention of princesses, for while he didn't wish to marry, princesses and princes had always seemed wonderfully heroic somehow, as if they held all the greatness of the world within their very beings.

"Well, that doesn't mean she was gone forever. And besides, I only said, supposedly. We do not know if it really was her or perhaps a daughter. Either way, Harmonia sent her and Albert Silverburg to Highland, in disguise of course. Only true believers were allowed to know of her."

"And you were a true believer?" Landis scowled at him, the winger's look saying that he couldn't care less about the story since it was Roan telling it.

"Yes and no. I was born in Dunan, but I had been raised in Highland and came to regard it as my home. From an early age, I had felt that it wasn't right that such a proud land and people should fall just because of Prince Luca's madness. But, our tale isn't about me, it's about Watari.

In Highland, a group of Ninja's called the Black Wind live. They are as powerful as the ninjas of Rokkaku and even more mysterious. They're loyalty is to their own clan and the rulers of the land. As a whole though, their loyalty is cheap and easily sold, so it was no matter to them who they followed.

Princess Jillia and Lord Albert knew that they would have to buy their loyalty if they were to win the war. The problem was, the ninjas wanted too much and refused to help at first. Then something mysterious happened." Roan scratched his head.

"They were attacked, their clan leader killed by a mysterious masked man. Apparently, this man was an agent of Dunan and killed the leader as a way to punish the black wind for hiding their dealings with the traitors. Needless to say, they were upset and easily joined out side."

In awe, but able to keep his composure, Fred nodded. "And then began the Plague Upon the Earls."

"The what?" Landis looked at them both like they were speaking a foreign tongue.

Fred rolled his eyes, and then looked to Roan, who nodded. "The plague upon the earls was the mass assassinations of many government officials and wealthy merchants currently in power. It shook Highland and Dunan to its very core and many people thought the fighting that would result would be as bad as the previous war.

It was during that time that Harmonia announced it's intentions to take back Highland as it's people wished. No one save for a few patriotic geezers were fooled. We all know that they wanted back their vassal state. Or maybe, they would even go as far as to make everyone their slaves. At the time though, those with in the rebellion were more than willing to go with it. They marched into Highland and set up camp. Things were going well until the black wind unexpectedly betrayed us. Turned out the Dunan Army had better money and the new leadership had it's fill of revenge. There was only one ninja who remained loyal to the cause."

"Watari." Fred whispered to himself, not really surprised, yet still feeling strangely ashamed that there would have been a time that the ninja wouldn't have been his first answer.

"Quite astute. I don't know why he chose to stay on a sinking ship, though I think it had something to do with the supposed Miss Blight." Roan shrugged in a way that indicated how poor an idea he believed it was. "In the end it didn't matter, because we lost and he was driven out by his own."

Apparently no longer able to hold it in, Landis decided to break in with his own questions. "What about you boy, and Ayame? What was that vial you gave her? Why are you here if you were such a loyalist-"

"Woah, woah my fine winger, one thing at a time." Landis didn't seem pleased about being called fine, but merely folded his arms and waited. "First off, Ayame really was just another ninja during the war and she was Watari's superior you could say. She was the one my cell reported to. I was the deputy in that cell and the one in charge of helping with the assignations." Seeing the look on Fred's face, Roan shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. They needed someone who knew the nobles in the area personally and who would know their routine and wouldn't be suspicious. Other than being really tall and apparently annoying, I'm not terribly noticeable." The look on Fred's face didn't change, but he chose not to say anything further.

As for Landis, he was still obviously not satisfied with Roan's answer. "And the vial?"

"Antidote to poison, in case of accidents."

"Yours?" The winger was now skeptical. "But wasn't that a ninja's job?"

"The ninja's made us keep the antidote, so that we could better trust them. So we'd have less reason to worry about them using their own poison against us."

"If it's yours, why does she have it?" Once again, Landis was barely concealing his jealousy. Fred had to admit that if the winger had any virtue it was that he was open with his emotions.

Picking up on Landis's jealous, a mischievous look crossed Roan's face. "I gave it to her, so that she would have no reason to fear me. Plus, I kinda wanted to impress her back then." There was a wink there and Landis readied his scythe.

"You…"

Ignoring Landis and not as concerned about Roan, Fred took a deep breath, feeling the weight on his shoulders increasing. "So, you mean him no harm?" He gave Roan a hard look, letting him know that Fred would brook no lies.

"None. I was worried about him when he disappeared in the last battle, but thems the breaks." Roan looked Fred over suddenly, as if he had suddenly realized something important. "So, you care about this, why?"

The knight felt his face flush and struggled to regain his composure. "That's…" After a few minutes, Roan clapped a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Well, just watch it. Watari's delicate. Not much personality, but what is there isn't stable exactly."

Delicate wasn't the word Fred would use to describe it, but maybe Roan was correct. After all, he might know what he was talking about as a former comrade of the ninja's. "So, that's why he would be worried." Suddenly, Fred knew what he would have to do and how badly it would look, but it was the only honorable thing to do. "Well, in that case, I shall go check on him. Good day." Fred bowed and left, hurrying to find Watari.

Roan watched Fred run off, eyes narrowed. "Hmmmmmm, is he…." The boy looked to Landis to say it instead though and the winger was more than happy to comply."

"Possibly in lust with the damn ninja? Probably, or at least the rumors go that they've been chasing after each other like love sick puppies. I don't care; it keeps that broody bastard Watari away from Ayame." Landis shrugged, before turning towards Roan grimily.

"What are you to Ayame, really?" The look that Landis gave him was one that he normally reserved for rats before he killed them. In fact, if he did kill Roan, he'd probably do the same thing with his corpse.

Raking a hand through his hair, Roan gave Landis a roughish smile. "Honestly, I don't know. I assume unrequited love." He just barely dodged the swing of the scythe.

"Don't trifle with me, human!" Landis was near frothing at the mouth and Roan backed up a little, holding his hands out in a placating gesture.

"It isn't my fault that you can't snag her." The next thing he knew, they were both running, Roan for his life and Landis for vengeance.

* * *

The few hours of privacy Watari had managed to catch in the storage room had been welcome. He'd have to thank Muto later for letting him in, with out so much as a word. Despite the Kobold's seeming stupidity, he had seemed to have sensed that Watari needed the alone time.

In fact, he was nearly about to doze off on rather comfortable shelf covered in stacks of linen and have what might be a very, very nice nap, one of the first he had allowed himself in a long time, when he heard a loud and familiar clinking noise. Before he could run, he felt a gloved hand grabbing his arm. He looked down at Fred glowering.

Despite that, the knight was looking at him seriously. "I know everything. About what happened in Highland." It was said in such a way, that even though 'everything' was a vague term, that the ninja knew Fred knew a lot more than he should, if not everything. He'd have to butcher Roan for it later.

Watari jerked his hand away and got off the shelf, dusting himself off. "What of it?" He tried to not look at Fred and strove to appear indifferent.

Face red, either from running, embarrassment or both, Fred swallowed. "I just, I guess, I don't' know what to say…" Watari was almost itching to know what Fred actually thought about him now, but another part of him wanted to remain ignorant.

"It's none of your business."

"Maybe it is." At that, Watari looked him in the eye, now getting annoyed. First this guy wanted nothing to do with and considered him an embarrassment, not he thought he the right to be involved in Watari's affairs?

Perhaps it was some sadistic attempt at revenge. "Why?" Of course Fred wasn't really a sadist, but he still couldn't hide the tone of distrust in his voice.

"Because, you are one of my comrades and if you care for me as well, then…" There seemed to be a struggle going on within Fred as if he was about to do something really difficult or risky.

Turning away so that he could avoid the look on Fred's face and not get sucked in, Watari clenched his fists. "You don't have to do anything about the way I feel." Which was still true, since the knight would have been frightened just by how intense his feelings were.

"Yes I do." The tone in his voice was resolute and Watari looked back at the knight, regarding him carefully.

"As in?"

"That is…" Not knowing what to do, Fred suddenly kissed him. "I'd like to give you a chance."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Yeah that was fast and before you jump on me for making Fred give in, you'll hear his reasoning next chapter.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 

At that moment, as their lips touched, Watari had to conclude that all the twisted fantasies he'd had over the last few months had finally rotted his brain. Fred was not kissing him, because there was no way that the big, dumb defender of chivalry would do such a thing. This was obviously just a figment of Watari's imagination, though just in case, Watari pushed Fred back with a hard shove. He thought he heard Fred say something about giving people chances.

"What are you going on about?" He was sure that it was something incredibly stupid, since there was no intelligent reason for Fred to have kissed him, save for lust and Fred just wasn't that sort. If he was, Watari wouldn't have been able to respect him and that aside, he would have taken his chances a long time ago.

Looking up at the ceiling as would a fidgety child who just wanted to end a conversation, Fred spoke. "I just think that someone should be there for you." Just as predicted, it was something stupid.

Watari blinked then groaned aloud. "I don't want pity from you. Don't force yourself to do something just to satisfy your stupid sense of nobility." Seeing the struck look on Fred's face, Watari wondered if he had perhaps gotten the knight's intentions wrong, but he pushed that thought aside. He had to be firm with the fool, since Fred was the type to become stubborn once an idea, no matter how obviously stupid, got ingrained in his head.

"I'm not doing it because of that. I am honestly interested in getting to know you and seeing what we have in common. If we are compatible, I would like to take our relationship further." Watari had to resist the urge to scoff at the word compatible. Even an idiot could tell that they weren't and he wasn't impressed by Fred's stupidity at the moment.

"Listen, I'm not interested anymore." It was a lie, but things were becoming too great a hassle for Watari to consider actually continuing on this course.

It was obvious by the way that Fred now crossed his arms that he wasn't pleased with Watari's response. "Don't be fickle." The fact that Fred of all people was talking about fickleness was a little too much to take.

No longer trying to make for the door, Watari crossed his arms and made sure his stance matched Fred's. "You're the one who is fickle." That seemed to take the steam right out of the knight, who looked deflated.

"How am I fickle?" Swearing that he could detect a slight whine to Fred's voice, Watari finally grabbed the door and pulled it open, stopping to favor the knight with a glance.

"You should be able to answer that yourself."

Letting Fred catch the door as he left the room, Watari was pleased to note some off duty guards walking down the hallway and was even more pleased when he saw that Fred noticed them as well. Even someone as dense as Fred had to appreciate the fact that the situation didn't need to be made worse than it was. "I wasn't being fickle." The lowness of Fred's voice confirmed Watari's conclusion. "You just confused me and I am over it now."

The fact that Fred would gloss over the way he'd reacted to Watari's kiss as mere confusion was laughable. "I am not over it." The ninja made sure that he said it as quietly as possible, with the maximum amount of possible bitterness inherent in every word.

"What?" The increased volume of Fred's voice caught the attention of the soldiers as the wandered by him, but they didn't stop walking right past the two of them, laughing drunkenly.

While he had never been a cruel person, at that moment, Watari felt it was time to be a little sadistic and play with the knight. "Did you expect me to wait forever?" It would have sounded girly if it had come from anyone else but him, though maybe it was still a little too girly.

In either case, it stopped Fred in his tracks, leaving him flustered. "No. But surely you have no reason to reject me?" The arrogance of the question and the stupidity presented within it was mind-blowing.

Yet, for some reason, his mouth was working against him. "No I don't."

* * *

Even as Roan was running from Landis, he managed to do so with a natural grace that his tall, gawky appearance belied. The way he was laughing only served to infuriate Landis further and he was determined to lop the man's head off, consequences be damned. He could be executed for murder and he wouldn't care.

As they continued running, they weren't aware of Kokoru following them until they heard a loud barking noise and saw that the dog was running along side Landis, keeping pace with the winger. "You want to hunt him with me, precious pet?"

"Not fair!" Roan shouted as he sped up, determined to escape the two of them. Onlookers weren't sure if they should try to stop the chase or let it go on, as they couldn't' tell if it was a game or not.

The two ran long and far and it wasn't long before they'd left the castle. One of their watchers couldn't have been more happy when they had either. The only people who could cause him any trouble were gone for the moment and he could carry out his plan much more easily this way. Smirking to himself, Mike went off to find Ayame.

* * *

The female ninja had felt a strange sense of relief the moment she'd handed that vial over. Even though she had considered herself a font of strength, it really had been too much of a burden for Ayame. Between keeping the last of that potion and hunting down Watari, she'd become more weary than she had thought possible, even though she was still a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, as dangerous as it was.

As she walked down into the dungeons it was all she could do to keep from twirling around like a little girl in a brand new party dress. Even if there was no one around to see her, ninjas did not twirl. Well, maybe Watari did now a days, if his recent behavior was any indication. She was hoping that the war would end quickly so that she could put him out of his misery before he went fully and truly mad.

Walking into one of the empty jail cells, she sat against one of the cool, wooden benches, allowing herself this moment of relaxation. As children, members of the Black Wind were forced to sleep on the ground, often without blankets as a way to toughen up. Even years later, Ayame couldn't bring herself to enjoy a soft, comfortable bed or cozy blankets. Dark, dank stones were infinitely more comfortable than sitting by a cozy fire place.

Just as she was about to allow herself a rare reverie, Ayame heard the sharp click of boot heels turning a corner. While the sound was far from rare in this castle, there was something about the echo of the steps that aroused her warrior's intuition. Readying a knife, she got up slowly and was about ready to lose it, when a cold voice stopped her.

"I wouldn't be doing that if I were you, dear Ayame." It was a voice that took her back years ago, but when the speaker stepped out of the shadows, she got confused.

To be discontinued…

Even though this story is far from complete, I can't bring myself to finish it. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the main reason is that I'm no longer into the story and can't muster up the enthusiasm to write for it and I keep putting off this story, feeling that it takes my time away from fics that still excite me.

I apologize to those who have been with this story since the beginning and new readers who have just gotten into this. I was greatly encouraged by your reviews and happy that you gave this story a chance despite of or because of the pairing involved. Thank you for your time.


End file.
